Volume XXII Issue 09

18 April, 2019

scrippsvoice.com

since 1991

A New Logo for a New Era

Uncompromising commitment to inclusivity and justice.

By Maureen Cowhey ’19 Editor-in-Chief

O

ne of my goals when I took over as Editor-in-Chief of The Scripps Voice almost three years ago was to redesign our outdated logo — a new logo for a new era.

Since then, other day-to-day tasks have taken priority in trying to reform and run a student newspaper while working as a fulltime student. However, as I wrap up my final semester at Scripps and subsequently my final issue of the Scripps Voice, I am excited to share with everyone our new logo design.

Our previous logo featured Scripps’ Honnold Gate, a fitting symbol for welcoming me into the role of Editor-in-Chief. As I took over my position in my sophomore year, it felt like metaphorically walking through the

gate into a new life: incipit vita nova. But so much has changed since then. We have a new staff, a new motto, a new mission statement, a new website, and a new social media presence. Truly the only thing that has remained constant is our name.

Thus, it felt necessary to give us a new look to define our new era.

The new symbol of The Scripps Voice is an olive branch laurel wreath alongside roman lettering. The olive branch not only draws on the famous Scripps olive trees that shade our campus, but also the laurel wreath is the symbol of the humanities and great writers. We wanted to draw on this symbol of triumph and success in rhetoric while also incorporating an iconic part of

the Scripps campus. The olive branch laurel is a reminder of Scripps students’ commitment to activism. The very olive trees that are still standing on campus are only present because of Scripps students coming together to protect them during the construction of the Edwards Humanities Building. As The Scripps Voice forges forward into a new era of radical voices, creative perspectives, and uncompromising activism, we want to ensure that the Voice remains a place where students have the freedom to be unapologetically committed to inclusivity and justice.

The logo was designed by Scripps’ own Cindy Zhu ’19, who is majoring in Art and minoring in German studies. Ever since

high school, she has been interested in designing posters and logos for various student organizations and events. It was important for us that The Scripps Voice’s logo and other promotional material would be designed by a Scripps artist.

As I pass along my position as EiC to the next group of student leaders, this logo feels like a promise for a radical and inclusive legacy for The Scripps Voice: one that was established when the paper was founded on in 1991, and one that I know will continue long after I have left Scripps.

A Visit to The Denver House: The 5c's Newest Spiritual Group

By Ittai Sopher PZ ’19 Senior Political Correspondent

W

hen Sundara Shakta Vinyasa Ananda PO ’20 asked Pitzer professor Phil Zuckerman to visit her house with his class, his immediate response was enthusiastic.

Zuckerman, who is a Sociology and Secular Studies professor, told Ananda that he would love to visit. Zuckerman warned Ananda, however, that he would not stifle student criticism about the house, which is known as The Denver House or The Goddess House.

Visiting a spiritual residence such as Ananda's is typical for Zuckerman’s “Sociology of Religion” course. In this class, students regularly visit different places of worship, typically followed by a debrief at a local doughnut shop.

After visiting The Denver House, students were eager to dive into a class discussion about what they had witnessed.

Among the criticisms from Zuckerman’s class during this debrief was that The Denver House’s predominately white congregants had adopted Eastern spiritual practices, symbols, and Sanskrit names.

“Some of my students felt that was problematic,” Zuckerman said. “That it was cultural appropriation. That it was giving spiritual credibility to these white students.”

In the single-story home, a few blocks north of Harvey Mudd, religious symbols like a large handmade paper-mache Hindu god stand out.

There are five people, some from Pitzer and Pomona, and another who was visiting temporarily from Dartmouth College, who live in the house, according to Ananda.

It’s not unusual for people in the house to casually quote the teachings of Christian theologian St. Thomas Aquinas, after arguing about Rihanna lyrics.

“Aquinas is a cool guy,” one member of the house said, after discussing one of the medieval thinker’s sayings.

The five students from Pitzer and Pomona who live in the house draw spirituality from many different religions, spiritualities and theologians.

Their spiritual guide and is a man named Jnanda Brahmananda, who Zuckerman described as an “itinerant guru,” who occasionally will visit the house to learn and meditate with students who live there.

Zuckerman said that his students voiced concerns Brahmananda’s negative stance on homosexuality.

Brahmananda, who also plays the role of a personal mentor for many of the students, details this topic further on his website, The Four Main Yogas of Life.

“The Divine One explained to me that the two main causes [of homosexuality] were being exposed / subjected to molestation at an early age,” Brahmananda’s website reads. “The Divine One indicated that it is an unnatural state for humans.”

Ananda emphasized that this teaching

of her mentor was taken out of context and is one with which she disagrees. Ananda understands why these comments offend LGBTQIA+ students.

According to Ananda, Brahmananda is willing to work with students who are not heterosexual.

Other religious or spiritual groups that the class visited, such as an Evangelical church in Pomona, also claimed that while they believed non-heterosexuality was sinful or unnatural.

According to Zuckerman, they too still claimed to accept LGBTQIA+ members into their church.

Ananda disagrees with Brahmananda’s teachings on homosexuality. Followers of Brahmananda are welcome to question any of the spiritual guru’s teachings, according to Ananda.

While the class discussed some elements of The Denver House they found unsavory, Zuckerman himself pushed back against derogatory comments that have been made against the group, specifically those who refer to the house as “a cult,” or those who claim members of the group are

if they knew anything about an ongoing FBI investigation.There was never any action to suggest law enforcement authorities were involved in the house.

“I had literally one person that I knew reach out to me and ask me what was going on,” Ananda said. “Everyone else, they don’t care. They’ll just listen to the rumors.”

Ananda, who grew up atheist, now wears earrings in the shape of a cross and a bracelet that features Saraswati, a Hindu goddess. Ananda says that the cross symbolizes the intersection of spirituality with the physical world, and Saraswati symbolizes continuously playing music, even if you have to stop and tune the instrument.

Her bedroom in The Denver House also features iconography of the Hindu god Krishna, as well as pictures of Jesus.

Ananda assimilates these religious symbols in her life with what she calls a deep appreciation and understanding of where the spirituality in each symbol comes from.

This, in Ananda's eyes, steers her clear from appropriation.

“If I use the word “Om,” is that going to be

Ananda's room which has images of Jesus, Krishna, and other religious symbols. Photo by Matilda Msall '19

being “brainwashed.”

Zuckerman noted that those terms are almost always pejorative and that collegeaged students in The Denver House have more agency to question spiritual teachings than a child enrolled in a Christian Sunday school.

“A cult is a term that everybody applies to others but nobody applies to themselves,” Zuckerman said.

Ananda is aware of the rumors that have been circulating about the group of students from the Claremont Colleges who live and worship at The Denver House.

These rumors indicated that the students had to end contact with family members who are unaffiliated with the house and that the FBI was investigating the house.

Members of the Denver House even contacted Pitzer administrators and asked

considered cultural appropriation?” Ananda said. “I wasn’t raised with these tools. Of course I’m going to go out and find what’s working for me.”

A Pitzer student who is South Asian and identifies as culturally Hindu and who wishes to remain anonymous, agreed with some of Zuckerman’s students who criticized the Hindu and Buddhist iconography as appropriation.

This student, who will be identified as “Meghna” for the sake of this article said that the practices of members of The Denver House are offensive to what she called a generation of South Asian Americans who struggle with assimilation.

Meghna, who is not in Zuckerman’s class, said that in her time living nearby The Denver House and having taken classes with congregants of the house, she saw

that students were disrespecting articles and names usually reserved for clergy and venerated officials.

“I noticed someone from my class now has the last name, ‘Ananda,’ on Facebook.”

Meghna said. “That’s the name of one of Buddha’s disciples, which connotes extreme religiosity and usually only priests can have that name.”

Although Ananda indicated that outsiders ought to visit her house to learn more, Meghna declined to visit the house, citing her discomfort at seeing pictures on Facebook of Hindu icons depicted on a tapestry.

According to Meghna, these should only be displayed in a “sacred format.”

“I know that it’s going to make me very uncomfortable,” Meghna said about visiting the house. “What I have already seen has been enough.”

Meghna also questioned the motives and meaning of The Denver House’s practices that draw heavily from South Asian traditions, saying that she felt that it was a type of aesthetic that non-South Asian students cannot and would not be able to achieve.

“I see people who live there walking around in Hindu priest’s clothing and holding a staff,” Meghna said. “If I were to do that, everyone would ignore me.”

Spiritual guru Brahmananda’s teachings only arrived in Claremont after two students, one from Pitzer and one from Pomona, stopped at a farmer’s market in October 2017, according to a Pomona student who lives at The Denver House,. According this member, another resident of the house, who is a senior at Pitzer, came across Brahmananda at the farmer’s market and recalled seeing the guru in a dream a month before. After this encounter, both students who had been actively seeking out spirituality, brought the traveling guru to Claremont.

Some of the people at the house, three of whom described their religious upbringing as Christian, said they arrived at Brahmananda’s teachings after serious soul-searching. The Pomona student, who did not agree to be identified, said that before meeting Brahmananda, he had paid money and spent time with another guru who gave him little face-to-face time.

Brahamanda’s courses cost $60 per month, or however much you are able to give, according to students at The Denver House. Unlike some other gurus, Brahmananda is in regular contact with students in the house and many of those who live and worship in the house said that Brahmananda is open to giving advice on topics outside of spiritual growth, such as school and life after college.

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

2 • News

2019-2020 SAS Election Results

By Rena Patel ’19 Editor-in-Chief

T

he Scripps Associated Students (SAS) election results were released earlier this month on April 5. This year, 420 students cast their ballot through Sakai.

Niyati Narang ’20 was elected as SAS President on a campaign promising to hold Scripps accountable on the values that they claim to hold. Narang has been involved in various activities and leadership roles during her last three years at Scripps. She has been a member of the Scripps Mock Trial Team and served as secretary, treasurer, and captain. She was also a mentor for Core 1, a Fellow for the Humanities Institute, and a Student Representative for the Board of Trustees.

This year, Narang served on SAS as Junior Class Co-President. She is currently studying abroad in Washington D.C. interning full-time.

Narang, who is also involved in the 5C Drop-

Sodexo campaign, stated in her campaign Facebook event, “The Sodexo contract is expiring in 2020 and Scripps admin will choose to either renew the contract or cut ties with Sodexo. If I am elected President, I will take every opportunity to push the administration and the BOT [Board of Trustees] to cut ties with Sodexo.”

Improving and increasing mental health resources as well as academic support beyond Dean of Students is another priority for Narang.

“Being away from campus this semester has made me realize how deeply I want to serve this community to the best of my abilities next year.” Narang stated in her Facebook post. “I will boldly and proudly fight for the needs of not only the Scripps student body but the workers that keep our campus running. I want to hold our school accountable.”

Congratulations to all of the winners and candidates that ran for SAS. The full results of the elections are listed to the right.

Just Show Up: A Conversation with the Leaders of Drop Sodexo

By Anna Mitchell ’22 Staff Writer

A

rally, a protest, a petition delivery. And then, they waited. We waited. Until, on Monday March 25, President Lara Tiedens sent out her official letter of response to the Drop Sodexo campaign. In this email, President Tiedens failed to make commitments or to address the demands of student organizers.

After reviewing President Tiedens’ response, I checked in with Drop Sodexo leaders Griffin Cloud PZ ’19, Sophie Peters ’20, and Alex Hammond ’21 on the status — past, present, and future — of the Drop Sodexo movement. We exchanged greetings, shuffled our chairs, and then, over the bustle of Seal Court on a sunny evening, began our conversation.

The Scripps Voice (TSV): What did you make of President Tiedens’ response to the petition?

Alex Hammond (AH): I think it was pretty expected, unfortunately. In the The Student Life (TSL) article, they mention that she has been receptive before and that’s the thing: she does say that she will consider it, but, in administrative speak, that just means they’re going to do whatever is cheapest.

TSV: So did you think that her response was, essentially, not a response?

Griffin Cloud (GC): It was passive. As it’s always been, I think, in our experience dealing with [Tiedens] and the administration. And she says it right in the letter: they don’t make promises. Nothing is for certain, even the demands we set out, you know, simply not resigning the contract with Sodexo, that wasn’t even a part of the conversation in the letter that she sent out.

Sophie Peters (SP): Yeah, I agree that it was definitely expected, and that she mostly just sounded good on paper, and worded it in a way where our demands were not taken seriously. I think we were disappointed with the response.

TSV: Do you feel like it was in any way a detriment to the work you’ve been doing or that dialogue will lessen on campus, now that the petition has been sent, or are you building to a next step from here?

SP: We’ll definitely be continuing our campaign from here because our demands were not met.

[Nodding, agreement all around.]

AH: One of the difficult things is that this has been going on for so long that it has been hard to get a lot of momentum at a specific moment because all the students are like, “Yeah, we know this is going on, nothing has changed, what are we supposed to do about it?” So, it’s hard to get a lot of people involved in concrete action.

SP: But it’s a perfect time because the contract does expire summer of 2020 and the request for proposals will be going out soon. So I think the momentum can still build but we don’t currently have it…

GC: And we will be sending a letter of response to Lara Tiedens, addressing our qualms with it and restating the demands...and I think one of the big things is we want to make sure this is an open dialogue. That it’s not behind closed doors, that we’re

really bringing in the student body and faculty into this conversation so they know what President Tiedens is saying and they know what we’re saying.

TSV: Is there one reason you would tell people who aren’t involved why this is an important movement?

GC: Well, I think this movement is very grounded in community, even just in the sense that it’s the workers that are also being affected by who is managing this dining hall, and we have to consider the workers a part of the community, because they’re out here everyday — literally blood, sweat, and tears — to make sure our lives are that much better and that we are enjoying ourselves, eating good food, and are happy. And they’re there supporting us.

SP: And if we say that we’re for things like food justice and worker rights and prison abolition, then we have to make sure we’re examining our own lives, the institution around us, and how it affects the dining hall workers and the entire community to be involved in a system like the one Sodexo perpetuates.

SP: Yeah, I mean, if we were able to move to in-house management, there would be many more ways for the dining hall to supply more ethically grown and sourced food. Pomona has in-house management and they definitely have more flexibility in where they can get their food, whereas Sodexo essentially gets kickbacks from large food corporations, so our food can be flown in from anywhere in the world in any condition, and we don’t really know about it. It’d be really cool to actually get to study food justice and then, you know, practice it in our dining hall.

TSV: Does it make a difference, in your opinion, if students choose to eat at Malott, as it exists now?

AH:I was talking about this with someone the other day, they were like, “You eat at Malott? How dare you!” and it’s like, well, first of all, the workers there are a huge part of our lives and I just feel like food always brings people together, and, especially with something like taking a stand against a management company, we want these workers to stay here.

We love these people and they’re a part of our community, so it’s important for us to interact with them in eating there and making sure that they know we’re here to support them and are taking a stand against the management company and not them as workers.

TSV: Is there a way that students or other community members could get involved?

SP: I think that conversation is not really enough at this point. We love how the community has engaged with us on a conversational level about the issues, but we really do want support when we have action.

So for people to actually come out, for people on their own to email or have their parents email…

AH: Parents especially!

SP: Get to know the workers, and come to our meetings.

AH: Yeah, just like, show up.

Yes. Show up. Show your support. Meetings are held typically once a week. To find out more information, you can contact dropsodexo@gmail.com.

President

Niyati Narang: 57% Sabrina Chung: 39% Abstain: 4%

Vice President of Student Activities Mabel Lui: 97% Abstain: 3%

Executive Vice President Melody Chang: 60% Alix Hunter: 34% Abstain: 6%

Co-Treasurers

Safia Hassan and Grace Shao: 57% Annika Mammen and Madison Gates: 39% Abstain: 4%

Secretary

Julia Thomason: 61% Maggie Bynum: 31% Abstain: 8%

Student Organizations Commissioner Elizabeth Howell-Egan: 91% Abstain: 9%

5C Events Chair

Daniela(Ella)Altamirano-Iniestra: 90% Abstain: 10%

Sustainability Chair

Maggie Thompson: 94% Abstain: 6%

Judicial and Academic Review Chair Abigail Clarke: 100% Abstain: 0%

Faculty-Staff Relations Chair Christina Catlett: 92% Abstain: 8%

Diversity and Inclusivity Chair Victoria Genao: 97% Abstain: 3%

Sophomore Class President Alexandra Rivasplata: 63% Abstain: 37%

Junior Co-Class President

Shelby DeVolder and Alexa Sanchez: 74% Abstain: 26%

Senior Co-Class President

Madeline Warman and Nicole Pang: 79% Abstain: 21%

Dishes clatter out front of Malott, as we rise and thank each other. The light is fading, but, as it has become clear throughout our conversation, their hope and conviction are not.

With a new wealth of perspective, I revisit President Tiedens’ email. She concludes the message with: “Decisions about food service on a residential college campus are important for so many reasons, as I know you appreciate. For that reason, we will take a deliberative and careful approach to this decision. This means it will take some time, thorough analysis, many voices, and much discussion.”

A deliberative and careful approach is indeed what the petition called for — and more. It detailed specific measures. As Peters, Hammond, and Cloud have elucidated, these measures were circumnavigated, disregarded, and, effectively, avoided.

These are leaders seasoned in resilience. An energy seems to sweep through the din of Seal Court, murmuring hope and action. We must take initiative, and refuse to quit.

Since this interview, the Drop Sodexo organizers’ response, crafted with concision and emphasis on Tiedens’ failure to adequately respond to their demands, has been sent. They continue to prepare for next steps.

18 April, 2019 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXVIII • Issue Nine

News • 3

Seeking Knowledge, Making Change Checking in with the Claremont Colleges’ Prison Abolition Collective

By Anna Mitchell ’22 Staff Writer

C

hances are you have attended one of their numerous events or workshops, joined their email list along the way or been to a meeting. Even if you are not a leader in the group or a steady member, it is nearly impossible to remain ignorant of the activism incubated and explored by the Claremont Colleges’ Prison Abolition Collective.

Inspired both by the injustices of the California carceral system and by the renowned abolitionist work stemming from such injustice, the group began in 2015. Ki’Amber Thompson PO ’18 and Ryan Palmer PO ’18 brought the idea to fruition.

“In earlier years, we would meet at the Hive for an hour a week. We worked on an article or topic each week, and spent most of our effort doing outreach events, attending abolition-related events,” says Aidan Moore PO ’20. “We worked with local organizations (Critical Resistance Oakland, All of Us or None) and on local legislation like Ban the Box and town hall meetings about Claremont becoming a sanctuary city.”

Since then, the project has evolved. Not in mission, per se, but certainly in tactics. The club now meets weekly on Wednesday evenings, dividing the meeting time into two sections: a fullgroup session and a working-group session. This year, education has emerged as an axis of their

endeavors.

“We spend a lot of time on education because no one is truly born an abolitionist — some of us couldn’t even envision an alternative to prisons prior to our involvement in the club — prison abolition has to be taught, and then lived,” says current club co-leader Jo Choe PO ’21.

As part of the 5C Leftist Coalition, a collective of clubs committed to various social justice issues, the club is devoted to supporting other activism on campus, such as the Drop Sodexo movement and the efforts of Students for Justice in Palestine.

But the networking does not and cannot end there.

“We are currently working on building coalitions with outside organizations,” says Mackenzie Rutherford SC ’21. “Right now, we are working on outreach in Claremont to provide residents with alternatives to calling the police/introducing them to abolition, because we know that to many people it seems like a radical idea,” adds Elle Biesemeyer SC ’21.

This is only a piece of the puzzle, one grand puzzle composed of education, networking, dialogue, interaction with experts, and, the constant throughout all such components, dedication.

Through workshops and coalition building, they hope to further educate these intersecting communities on the significance and possibility of imagining a future without a Prison Industrial Complex.

In the climate of relative privilege inherent to a private college campus, they recognize the significance of engaging in the unique ways made possible by such a unique space. For example, utilizing the consortium’s resources and seeking funding allows the group to broaden their reach and to deepen their impact.

“If you can’t make our meetings and would like to get involved, follow us on Instagram @5cPrisAb, like us on Facebook 5c Prison Abolition, or email us at 5cprisonabolition@gmail.com and ask to be added to our email list!” says Rutherford.

A more informed student body makes for more informed graduates, workplaces, families, towns, cities. A more educated country.

From the Civil Rights movement, to feminist campaigns, to anti-war protests, college campuses carry a longstanding tradition of incubating activism and activists. It comes as no surprise that such a tradition continues into our modern era to address both contemporary and recurring issues, such as, in this case, abolishing the Prison Industrial Complex.

But these walkways and hallways are equally spaces for enquiry. So go ahead, embrace humility and ask your questions. Is that not the foundation of activism anyway? Seeking knowledge in order to make change?

Anna is a member of the 5C Prison Abolition Collective.

Spotlight on Malott Staff: Beth Garvin

By Aditi Garg ’22 Staff Writer

A

n integral part of the Scripps community, the members of the Malott staff work hard and make it possible for us to have meals, but many students never get the opportunity to interact with them beyond a “hello.” Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking with Beth Garvin, who serves as the Administrative Assistant for Dining Services at Scripps College. While this one conversation does not reflect the individuality of each staff member, I hope that learning more about Beth will open up a further dialogue between students and Malott staff.

The Scripps Voice: How long have you worked at Malott?

Beth Garvin: I was hired here in December of 2010, so I’m going on nine years.

TSV: What has it been like to interact with students in the dining hall?

BG: I honestly can say that I love everything about the students. I love that everybody is different. I love that I see them all as my children because mine are the same age. Mine were going away to college and I was sad about that, so I would leech happiness and connection with the students, other people’s children, and loved everything about it. I love that they would confide in me when they needed to. I could say, “Hey, how’s it going today?” because I’m pretty good at reading people and they were like, “I just wanted to tell somebody about finals” (or whatever else was on their minds). I really, really have enjoyed getting to know them. And when some [students] graduate and their siblings start [college], they come back and say “This is my sister!” or “This is my brother!” I love it so much.

TSV: How has your overall experience been as a member of the Scripps community?

BG: Just...fulfilling in every way. And I say that I’m a really emotional person, so I needed that connection as my kids were leaving [for college].

It was fulfilling in that way, and it was fulfilling as a woman reentering the workforce as my kids were starting to leave and I decided to apply

here. I had worked with my mom’s business for forever when my kids were little, so I was kind of protected and safe in the Claremont Village. I grew up here in Claremont, so I haven’t really gone far. When I decided to step outside my comfort zone and apply here, it was scary because I was pretty sure I didn’t know anything about anything. But I knew how to be kind to people and I knew how to honestly engage and make people feel like “I care about you, I’m concerned about you, I’m interested in what you have to talk about.” I thought, what better place to utilize that than at Scripps? [I’m] just really, really fulfilled everyday and now that I’m in this position, the Administrative Assistant, I’m getting to see the other side of the dining hall and getting to know my coworkers in a little bit of a different way, being able to help them with some of the processes.

TSV: Reflecting on your time at Scripps, have you had any memorable experiences?

BG: I would say, the first thing that comes to mind is when the Obama girls toured [Scripps]. That was a couple of years ago, and they came with

their grandma, and we were only allowed to know [about their visit] the day of. We were cleaning everything, they came in, and what I loved so much is that they could have blended in right then and there. They [were] regular girls. It was just another college tour. Their grandma asked questions, the Secret Service was very kind, and everything was cleared out for them. One of our sweet students that I had gotten to know really well was tasked with giving them the tour. They went out and got inside their little golf cart with all of their security, and went on the tour. But that was so fun for us. We have had a lot of — I like to say — “important” people’s children that have come to school here. But as a whole, we all feel so special when we’re tasked with taking care of other people’s kids. We feel like “Dang, we’re doing the right thing, we’re doing some good things that [make] their families trust us.”

TSV: Do you have any hobbies or other passions?

BG: It’s kind of sad that right now, I really kind of don’t. But really my hobby is my youngest son, who’s a senior at Claremont High School, and is really active in band and plays volleyball. So every other day we’re going to a volleyball game and that’s kind of been my role — it’s been “mother” this whole time. I was just talking to my husband recently, about how when [my son] leaves for college, what’s my role going to be? I mean, it’s just going to be a really strange time, so I think I’ll be able to answer that question better this time next year. My life has been my kids and my husband is a music teacher, so it’s just been a lot of band activities and family time. We do like our cats, though. We go for walks. We love living in Claremont. We do a lot of Claremont activities.

We visit the farmer’s market and stuff like that.

TSV: What are the names of your cats?

BG: So we have Chicken, who I named Chicken before we knew that she an actual chicken. She’s afraid of everything, and she’s a tree climber so she lives on top of a bookshelf and we put another bookshelf so she can crawl across it, and that’s where her food dish is. And then we have Michael, who’s insane — he’s a bully but he’s a lover too. Chicken’s about 12 and Michael is 3.

Photo By: Chloe Gorman

18 April, 2019 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXVIII • Issue Nine

4 • Features

Dating while Black in claremont

By Priya Canzius ’20 Copy Editor

Y

ou lock eyes at the Hoch. He’s in line for a wet burrito and you’re adding a warm breadstick to the side of your plate. He smiles. You smile back. It could be love, you think. If he’s into black girls.

“In many cases, black girls receive messages that they are not attractive, that they have many undesirable qualities, and so on,” Sheila Walker, Scripps Psychology Professor and recent author of the book “African American Girls and the Construction of Identity,” said. “These stereotypes operate both in the larger society and, to a certain extent, within the black community. When adolescent girls and young women are told constantly, through media representations, even sometimes within their own families, that they are too dark-skinned, that their hair isn’t “good,” that they are too heavy, too bossy, and so on. They can internalize these negative messages, suffering lowered self-esteem and self-doubt.”

As with most things in life, dating is more difficult for black women (especially non-binary and trans women). According to an OKCupid study conducted in 2014, black women have consistently been regarded as the least desirable potential partners since the app released these dating preference statistics in 2009.

Unfortunately, this trend on OKCupid seems to be fairly reflective of the dating trends at the Claremont Colleges. In a short message on the Scripps College Current Students page on Facebook, I asked for anecdotes about black women’s dating experiences on campus. I received answers that addressed the issues of colorism, exotification, and the role that body type may play in being perceived as a desirable — or undesirable — dating candidate at the Colleges.

Blackness and Difference: “I could never take you home to my parents.”

“I think I haven’t experienced dating as much at the 5Cs because there seems to be a general aversion to dating black womxn,” Ariel Lewis ’20 said.

This aversion is not college-specific, but these feelings can be especially salient at primarily white institutions like the 5Cs. It is no secret that students of certain racial backgrounds are perceived as more desirable and therefore hold more social capital than others.

“It’s this moment where students are coming to college and exposed to more diversity and start to question how that reflects on their hometown, what it would be like to bring someone [from a different background] home, how uncomfortable those conversations might be with family members, [etc.], even though recently more communities are becoming more diverse,” Professor Alyssa Newman, Harvey Mudd’s Hixon-Riggs Early Career Fellow in Science and Technology Studies said. “Black women in college are potentially encountering having to question their desirability because, first of all, they are representing that diversity that people are encountering for the first time and, that diversity is sort of in conflict with the community that people at the Colleges might come from.”

While our student body is composed of a diverse population of students, the individuals within this population often hail from decidedly less diverse communities.

M o r e o v e r, t h e s e l e s s diverse communities may subsequently be even less accepting of diversity than the communities within and nearby the Claremont Colleges.

“One relationship I had

during my first year at Scripps was with someone who wasn’t black (and also went to a nearby school outside of the consortium),” Lewis said. “And my race ended up being a hindrance in our progress (because as much as he talked about me to his mom, he didn’t tell her I was black). Which sucked!

It was also just a reminder that no matter how good people seem to be, or how “woke” they are, they still carry that internalized shame of being associated with someone who’s black.”

I’ve had three separate men — people who I haven’t been interested in dating — explain to me that their family would not approve if we dated because of my race. Each time, they have tried to justify their reasoning. Each time, I have nodded uncomfortably. Each and every time this happened is seared into my memory for years later.

According to Walker, having few dating experiences or negative romantic experiences like Lewis’ or mine may be attributed to the size and racial makeup of the Claremont Colleges.

“The difficulties that many black women face with respect to dating at the 5Cs might not occur on other campuses,” Walker said. “For example, at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), it is not likely that so many black women would not have a dating life. At larger institutions, where there are larger student populations and more racial and ethnic diversity, dating might not be as much of a problem.”

Exotifying & Fetishizing Blackness: “I bet you taste like chocolate.”

The problem is not simply that black women are seen as less desirable than other women at the 5Cs. When black women are perceived as suitable romantic partners at the Claremont Colleges, this perception may stem from the exoticization or fetishization of the women’s blackness.

“One of the consequences of being fetishized is that even if you are being perceived as attractive, it’s for the wrong reasons,” Newman said. “And I think that black women daters here [at the Colleges] might be interested in being considered as a partners for dating and relationships on the same parameters as anyone else.”

These stereotypes are harmful for many different reasons, but according to Walker, “This kind of attention can make women feel objectified, that they have no worth apart from the appearance of their bodies.”

This is particularly true when one’s body differs from the “ideal” of a community. In Southern California, the “ideal” body type is thinner than it might be elsewhere.

“It’s hard to want to pursue a relationship when you have to think about your body not being good enough, on top of being black, which just makes it seem almost impossible because it’s like double the amount of being ignored,” Lewis said.

Conversely, I’ve had comments made about my lips, my curves, and my ass not living up to “black girl expectation.” In this situation, it’s not about being ignored; it’s about being scrutinized.

Fetishism stems from the expectation that a romantic prospect will live up to a certain stereotype that one has generalized about a group of people.

Black women are subject to exotification — and subsequent disapproval if they do not present in the way that the fetishizer expects them to.

Shades of Discrimination: “You’re so pretty for a black girl.”

Due to colorism, within and outside the black community, black women with lighter complexions are typically viewed as “more desirable” dating partners.

“Lamentably, colorism is alive and well in American society,” Walker said. “This is the perspective that the most attractive women are light-skinned, with straight or curly or wavy hair, usually long hair, and with more slender body builds.

Needless to say, if one does not fit this model, there is a greater probability of feeling unattractive, undesirable, worthless, lacking in self-confidence.”

While black multi-racial or lighter-skinned black women are often victim to fewer negative racial stereotypes than their darker-skinned counterparts, they too are exotified by potential romantic partners.

“Certainly with lighter-skinned multiracial or lighter-skinned black women, [one can see] the ways in which their blackness is exotified, but their lighter skin is maybe [considered] more palatable or acceptable as something to be,” Newman said Even so, many black women perceive themselves to be less desirable to potential romantic partners at the 5Cs, including black men. In the aforementioned Facebook post, a Scripps student posted a particularly poignant comment: “Black men hate us too.” Black men are certainly fetishized by women at the Claremont Colleges and beyond, but, in general, there appears to be less of a societal romantic aversion to dating black men.

“The experiences cis-het black men have is far different in that they are generally more accepted in the relationship aspect,” Lewis said. “And black womxn on these campuses don’t have that since we are usually outright fetishized and/or just generally ignored. Even within spaces with other black people, it’s a little bit like black women — especially if you don’t have a lighter complexion — aren’t even valued by other community members.”

This unequal desirability between black men and women at the Claremont Colleges — and elsewhere — gives men a certain social power that women lack.

“One sort of impact of this might just be a relationship between who actually dates outside of their community, but also how this might be a reflection of black male privilege, in a sense,” Newman said. “[Men] can be against and judge black women for their decision to date outside or their race, but they also do that at higher rates than black women do.”

Blackness & Desirability: “I’m just in Claremont.”

Dating is difficult for any college student, but is particularly difficult for black women at the Claremont Colleges. This can perhaps be best exemplified by an Overheard (OH), posted on Meme Queens of the 5Cs by Marie Tano PO ’21 on March 2, 2019 shown below.

While the overheard speaker was not necessarily speaking about dating, she was certainly addressing her perceived desirability on these campuses. Now, some people liked this photo, some reacted to it, and some certainly ignored it. But I wonder how many of us understood it for what it really meant.

To the black women on campus who are trying (and maybe failing) to date either within your race or outside of it, please know that it is not your duty to make yourself more “palatable” to potential partners. Know that you are worthy of a love that does not make you feel the need to reject your Blackness. You are not a token of your race and should not be treated like one. If nothing else, please let this serve as a reminder that you are beautiful... even in Claremont.

18 April, 2019 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXVIII • Issue Nine

The Not So Secret Garden

By Sondra Abruzzo ’19 Environment and Sustainability Columnist he most common reaction I get after mentioning the Scripps student garden is, “What? We have a garden? Where is it?” Well, my friends, the Scripps student garden serves as a place for students to grow their own fruits and vegetables while hanging out in a fun and sunny communal space. It sits between Browning and the Toll and Browning/Dorsey Parking lots, hidden behind the big Scripps wall on Platt Blvd.

The garden began back in 2002, when a group of students designed the space, built the brick planters we still use today, and planted a variety of fruit trees and vines to decorate the garden.

Over the years, the garden club has done lots of programming to get students involved and excited about cultivating their own plants, food, and community space, while also engaging with sustainability efforts on campus.

“Being a part of garden club meant a lot more than planting and harvesting,” said the 20162018 Student Garden Coordinator Erika Johnson ’18. “It was also community events such as the sustainability fair, helping with the compost program, helping grounds decide on what fruit

T

trees to plant, and donating fresh produce to both the dining halls and local groups in the community. Some of my favorite events were community meals that were cooked by students with produce grown in the garden. We also had a fermenting event that was a collaboration with students from Harvey Mudd in which students learned how to make sauerkraut and brew kombucha in their dorms.”

Although the garden is an amazing resource, its hidden nature (both literally and figuratively) prevent it from reaching its full potential.

“Being behind gates and walls on the north side of Browning residence hall, very few students knew about the garden,” Johnson said. “Each year, we would grow lots of free organic food for Scripps students, but this was a frequently underutilized resource. Notably, students that worked on campus over the summer were able to enjoy hundreds of fresh tomatoes, basil, zucchini, peppers, beans, and many other fruits and vegetables. While summers were a great time to harvest, maintenance was difficult as there was not a dedicated group on campus keeping the garden watered and weeded.”

More problems arise for the garden when there is no structured leadership tending to

Features • 5

the space. This year, there was no Student Garden Coordinator position as the grounds department was already dealing with the loss of our Sustainability Coordinator, Tiffany Ortamond, and the Director of Grounds, Lola Trafecanty.

Nevertheless, Landscape Operations Manager, Joya Salas, stepped in and worked with Grounds to perform general upkeep of the garden which included mowing, irrigation repairs, weed removal, and maintenance of the peripheral landscaping.

They also planted nine new fruit trees including Mexican lime, guava, Santa Rosa plum, and a kiwi vine.

Students have also come together on their own volition this year to plant beets, sage, and strawberries, among other flowers and vegetables.

In the future, Salas aims to “have a continuous seasonal supply of fresh herbs, vegetables and fruit growing in the student garden. My hope is for the students to take full advantage of the space by planting and tending their favorite crops.”

Many agree that the garden could and should become a greater part of the Scripps culture.

In fact, in the fall of 2017 students met with the Scripps administration to push forward an initiative to redo the garden area. According to Johnson, “These new plans included features such as a raised deck for yoga surrounded by hammocks, expanded vegetable beds, a large picnic table for communal eating, covered areas with flowering and fruiting vines, study spaces outdoors including sliding chalkboards, and a pizza oven.” Plans were drawn up, funding was approved, and all the project needed was an alumni donation to complete the project funding.

However, when the school year ended, the seniors who spearheaded the project graduated, and the staff who supported it left, and the project came to a halt. Although they have the plans, the administration has had little to no conversation about further pursuing the project.

With greater awareness and participation in the garden, we can again push to improve this space for the community. Ideally, the garden can serve as a source of community making, wellness, and of course, fresh produce.

Students are already suggesting ways that it can improve, such as focusing on indigenous plants in recognition that these campuses exist on Tongva land.

Photo By Sondra Abruzzo

Home for the Summer: Some Tips and Tricks

By Aya Burton ’22 Staff Writer

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ith only a month left of classes, most of us, especially those of us who have never done so before, are starting to think about planning our travels back home. The end of the school year can feel bittersweet as we leave our friends and the freedoms of the 5Cs to return to our parents’ houses.

The term “curfew” might sound foreign and “chores” a concept from a distant past. The summer home after freshman year can be an especially tough one to navigate, according to upperclassmen.

Readjusting to your childhood home, along with the rules and requests of parents, can be challenging.

For so long, we’ve planned and lived out our days as we please – waking up late, hitting up the pool with friends, staying out at The Hub until night becomes morning.

However, if you focus on the positives of returning home and are as conscientious of those you live with as you would be at school, the transition can be a pleasant one. Start your summer right with these quick tips and tricks.

Communication is Key Having been on your own for so long, it can be tough remembering to update parents on your whereabouts.

Since you’re living under their roof and are their responsibility, it’s only fair to let them know if you’re going to spend a night out and an estimate of when you’ll be back home. To avoid having a concerned parent calling and looking for you all night, just shoot

them a text to keep them up to date.

Do Your Part Go above and beyond just putting your plate away after a meal and actually do the dishes or make dinner – without your parents having to ask you. Helping out around the house is not only a sign of respect but also shows your parents that you’re mature and able to take care of things beyond yourself. It’s the little things, like unpacking your belongings right when you return and keeping your room tidy, that will make your parents treat you more like an adult than a child.

Be Courteous Keep in mind that you’re not at school anymore and behavior that might’ve been appropriate in a college dorm isn’t always okay in your childhood home.

For instance, blasting music off your speakers past 10 p.m. likely won’t be appreciated, nor will leaving behind a trail of your belongings everywhere you go.

On the other hand, maybe your parents are fine with you returning home past midnight, as long as you let yourself in with a key and don’t wake the whole house up. Talk with your parents about their expectations and be mindful of those you live with.

Managing Conflict Reuniting with family can be stressful and difficult.

You might find yourself faced with questions you don’t want to be asked or surrounded by arguments you don’t want to be a part of. You can’t always change those around you, but it’s important to take care of yourself. Plan ahead by thinking about what kinds of questions and conflicts typically arise and how you could respond to (or avoid) them. Think of some

coping mechanisms that work well for you and use them if you need to. These could include taking a walk, going to the library or coffee shop for an afternoon, or texting a close friend. If the thought of returning home really stresses you out, consider finding a job where you can live on campus over the summer, like at Denison or the Admissions Office.

Fill Your Time Sun tanning and sprawling out around the house all day might sound like your best version of summer, but in reality that will get boring pretty quickly. Try and find a balance of work and play – even with a part-time job, internship, or volunteering, you can make time for friends and adventures. Working will get you out of the house and give you some space from your parents so that you can actually enjoy the time you spend together. Make the most of summer and create a bucket list. On it could be books you’ve been meaning to read, trails you would love to hike, a fitness class you want to try, or a recipe you’ve been dying to make.

Appreciate What You’ve Been Missing Don’t forget about all the things you love and missed about home! Living at home certainly has its perks.

Maybe it’s your plush queen-sized bed, your dog, or the sunset from your front porch. Do the things you missed doing, like going to your favorite park, getting that special latte at the local cafe, or going to the nearby theater. Spend time with family and friends, find time for yourself, and make the most of your summer – before you know it, you’ll be heading back to school (or maybe even moving out!)

18 April, 2019 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXVIII • Issue Nine

8 • Opinion

“Overheard” at Scripps

By Alexandra Rivasplata, ’22 Staff Writer

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y first year at Scripps has been quite a memorable one.

I have endured orientation, made it to (almost) every lecture during CORE 1, seen the rise and fall of Writing 50, met life-long friends, and danced many nights away. For all of these memories, I am so grateful. But, as my first two semesters here come to a close, I feel a strong need to articulate this: Scripps deserves better...from everyone.

As a historically women’s college that is part of a greater co-ed consortium, I knew that attending Scripps would come with its fair share of challenges. Before I stepped onto the Scripps campus as a student for the first time, I was already very well aware of 5C culture and the stereotyping within it.

However, Scripps is set apart by these stereotypes because they insult the intelligence and sexual autonomy of Scripps students.

The thing is, this perception is unfounded.

The argument is that Scripps is statistically not academically on par with the rest of the Claremont Colleges.

We’ve been told that the average admission test scores and GPAs of an accepted/enrolled Scripps student is lower than that of one that may attend the other 5Cs. The ranking of the other institutions are higher.

Let’s clear up this misconception right away: this is simply untrue. According to the Office of Admissions, Scripps students have virtually the same or better GPA, ACT, and SAT scores as students at both Pitzer and Claremont McKenna College. Moreover, these scores are not far below those of Pomona and Harvey Mudd students.

It is also important to keep in mind that Scripps is a selfselecting college in which half of the population is excluded from the application process. Moreover, rankings of colleges are often based on alumni network, endowments, and salaries made after graduation. These are factors that are automatically lower in women’s colleges in a country where it takes until April 2 for the average woman — race excluded — to make the same pay as a man does by December 31.

Lastly, Scripps is less than 100 years old. As a college that once regularly admitted fewer than thirty students, Scripps does not yet have the money or the network to gain the prestige of some of the older women’s colleges which have had since the 1830s to acquire them.

Despite our peers suggesting that the statistics and rankings indicate otherwise, Scripps students are held to the same standard as its peers at the other campuses.

Thus, there is no reasoning behind the unbalanced power dynamic Scripps students face on a daily basis. So why does everyone still think Scripps students are not as smart as the rest of the students at the Claremont Colleges if not because

of discrepancies in statistics? Largely, because they don’t know the facts. By being a relatively new women’s college, being a self-selecting institution and subsequently having a deflated admittance rate, it is clear that admittance rate is not an unbiased reflection of the caliber of students that attend. But, we can’t ignore the other reason: Good, old, never-ending sexism.

At the end of the day, Scripps is a historically women’s college. No matter what the stats are, no matter the caliber Scripps is always going to come out last when compared to the other colleges.

The stereotypes of Scripps students derive from the misogyny that coils inside of our peers. Sure, Pitzer has to deal with being “the potheads” and Harvey Mudd is known as being “anti-social, computer science majors.” These stereotypes are unfair and disrespectful in their own way.

However, no one can deny there is a difference between these, and the students at Scripps being told that their IQs are lower than those of the students at the rest of the 5Cs, as Dena Kleemeier was told, because they attend Scripps.

Not because of any substance or lifestyle, but because they are at a women’s institution with an acceptance rate and a ranking that is not ‘on par’ with its neighbors.

Many students at Scripps express feeling “disempowered” because of the constant need and pressure they face to prove they are academically on par with their peers and thus gain their respect. Stories of classmates across the 5Cs exclaiming Scripps classes “are classes you take for easy As,” or professors saying that majors may be ‘too difficult’ for them are just handfuls of academic disrespect the Claremont Colleges direct towards its Scripps students.

“I internalized the power dynamics...at some points,” Samhita Kadiyala ’21 posted in a Facebook thread about her first-year experience. “I felt proud that people thought I went to Pomona, I would almost put myself on some weird pseudo-Pomona pedestal above my own [Scripps] classmates, and that sort of thinking is so toxic.”

Due to the assumption that numbers and rankings make Scripps students ‘unworthy’ of being in classes with the rest of their peers or that they are bound to perform poorly in comparison, Scripps students often feel a pressure to prove their worth. They do this not only for themselves but for Scripps, as if performing well will somehow legitimize the institution in the eyes of those around them.

Another aspect of being a Scripps student that I was not prepared for was the sheer amount of inappropriate sexual comments students receive. Remarks regarding Scripps students’ sexual orientation and sensuality are irritating, potentially gross, and widely, unnecessary. These are typically remarks shared by women of other women’s colleges because of the negative connotations people have about attending a women’s college.

When I asked for Scripps students to share experiences of when they have been faced with overly sexist remarks regarding sexuality, I was shocked by some of the responses.

One common thread was that Scripps students are assumed to be sexually ‘easy.’

“My freshman year [I] had a guy at a party tell me he loved Scripps girls because we were “easy meat” to my face,” Layla Moehring ’19 said.

This hurtful stereotype translates into disrespect that then is associated with the way Scripps students should be treated. There is a perception that Scripps students must act less like “Scrippsies” to earn respect. This is dangerous behavior: it is not acceptable to oversexualize students simply because of the college they chose to attend.

Moreover, the conclusion that students at a women’s college surrounded by co-educational colleges are just looking to ‘steal’ men and will be ‘easy’ perpetuates an unhealthy culture in which Scripps students begin to receive less respect in other aspects of their lives. “[Once my econ professor asked how] much I would be willing to pay for a drink and then cut me off before I could answer to say, ‘well you don’t know how much a drink costs cause pretty girls never have to buy their own drinks,’’” Zaidee Laughlin ’20 said.

The students at the rest of the Claremont Colleges may be faced with the task of debunking of their own stereotypes when making friends, joining clubs, and socially interacting with the rest of the consortium, but it is Scripps students alone that must deal with the condescension and sexism from both academia and their peers.

When Scripps students are not facing explicit instances of sexism or condescension regarding their intelligence and sensuality, they are reminded of it in regular discussion.

In 5C-stereotype based memes, students love teasing and focusing on perpetuating outdated, annoying, and boring judgments. Yet, there is something different about the Scripps memes. When we ask ourselves where this misogyny and sexism come from, gender-based microaggressions reveal themselves when we least expect it; memes insulting the intelligence and sensuality of Scripps girls are excuses to perpetuate biases.

By choosing a women’s college in Southern California, I am prepared to be the butt of many jokes. But let’s keep it at jokes. We cannot, as a consortium, continue to perpetuate this idea that Scripps students can’t keep up academically.

We cannot accept that because Scripps students must walk four feet off of their own campus to interact with cis-men, they don’t deserve the same sexual respect that the women at the other colleges receive.

The 5Cs love to tear each other down, but what binds them together even more than that is the shared love of tearing Scripps students down.

Reclaiming the Budget with Radical Politics

By Theri Aronson ’20 Staff Writer

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racism and classism in this professional field,” Rivera said.

Rivera’s current project is focused on reclaiming the billion dollar budget, and using that money that would otherwise be spent on policing on more community projects that focus on getting residents’ voices heard. Additionally, she continues to advocate for decriminalization measures, divestment from law enforcement, and other alternatives to policing. In this way, Rivera explains, we can help mitigate community trauma, which is itself, a public health concern.

“Our goal is for this work to be used to further organizing, research, and education in the field of public health and beyond,” Rivera noted.

Since submitting for policy change at the national level, Rivera says she feels a shift in the national conversation.

“Appealing, community intervention, and radical politics is what it took to get the policy passed,” Rivera said. “If you are a student activist, put yourself out there, and focus on who is doing the work, and offer your time to them because now is the time.”

18 April, 2019 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXVIII • Issue Nine

Image courtesy of KTLA

n the afternoon of April 1, Research and Programs Director at UCLA, and Million Dollar Hoods codirector, Danielle M. Dupuy, as well as Director of Student Services for the San Francisco State University’s Metro College Success Program, Jade Rivera, spoke on a panel that discussed topics such as gender, policing, and public health. The panel discussion was hosted by the Intercollegiate Feminist Center for Teaching, Research, and Engagement in our very own Hampton Room at Scripps College.

In 2013, Danielle Dupuy enrolled in the Community Health Sciences program with a minor in Law so she could focus on incarceration, and its effect on the wellbeing of black communities in the U.S. An expert in mass incarceration and race, Dupuy has since devoted her career to mapping the cost of incarceration in Los Angeles County, and uncovering what L.A.’s nearly billion-dollar jail budget is being spent on with her team at Million Dollar Hoods.

Dupuy revealed that since 2010, tens of millions of dollars have been spent on incarcerating female residents in neighborhoods such as Lancaster, Palmdale, and Compton, where the top causes of arrest are 1.

Possession of a controlled substance 2. Failure to appear in court.

“Notably, the rate of women being incarcerated is going way down,” Dupuy said.

More money is spent incarcerating Lancaster residents than any other area county in L.A. Recently, L.A. County had a $2.2 billion jail project plan to create a new women’s jail, which quickly fell under scrutiny by local resistance groups like Million Dollar Hoods. In Jan. 2019, Danielle Dupuy spoke out against the controversial plan to create a new women’s jail in the city of Lancaster at a rally and press conference.

According to the L.A. Times, “In Feb. 2019, in a historic move L.A. County Supervisors voted to dump the new jail project in Lancaster, in favor of a new mental health

treatment center, which will no longer be overseen by the Sheriff’s department.”

Growing up in a neighborhood that was heavy on policing, Jade Rivera has long understood the urgency in confronting police violence as a social, as well as public health issue.

As a leader in the healthcare field, Rivera has dedicated herself to seeking answers to questions such as: “How dedicated are we to health equity? How can we uplift communities and empower them to leverage their ideas of justice? Why don’t we invest in more community programs such as housing and jobs?”

Significantly, in 2018 Rivera was one of three students with a Master’s in Public Health management to develop and pass an American Public Health Association’s policy statement that made police violence in marginalized communities into a public health matter. For three years, Jade Rivera and her groups of dedicated public health educators and professionals worked on the “Law Enforcement is a Public Health Issue” policy statement, which passed in November in 2018.

Using data to reveal the decrease in education spending, and 405 percent increase in police and carceral budget spending, Rivera and the team were able to demonstrate that the money was being inaptly redistributed a m o n g s t marginalized communities.

“The passage of this statement and the recognition of policing as violence is a huge victor y against

Satire • 9

Subpar Cis Man Gets the Girl: A Satire

By Eve Kaufman ’20 Staff Writer

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hat is it about that? It seems, no matter which way you put it, folks everywhere are prioritizing the affections of cis men over basically the rest of the population. Now, before anyone assumes this is a subtweet – please don’t. Rather, it is an observation on the mechanics of our society – particularly at the 5Cs. It’s a trend, a pattern of behavior I can identify within myself, friends, and okay, maybe past crushes. I identify as bisexual, yet time and time again end up pursuing cis men over the rest. It has gotten to a point that, although my specialty in this column is usually art and architecture, I have to call it as I see it – and call myself out as I do so.

The 5Cs are filled with extraordinary people. People from all walks of life, who do of all sorts of things, and tend to do them very well. When I establish a polemic on the dating culture here, it is not to say that anybody isn’t worthy of being loved, or is in any way non-spectacular. That said, there are often better fits for individuals that may not be pursued, or even attractions that are being deferred simply due to this phenomenon.

“I am 90 percent attracted to women, and somehow, unfortunately, 10 percent attracted to men,” Toni Anderson ‘22 said. This is a common sentiment and further evidence that cis

men somehow always have a stake in the dating game. I seek to investigate why it is we do that, and what it truly shows. For starters, it could lie within the fact that, in terms of people who identify as men/women at the 5Cs, there is a significant percent difference at every college. There are fewer self-identified men than women overall, so for people with a preference toward men, pickings are a bit slimmer. By virtue of this, standards of what to expect from a partner have already shifted, and feed into the mindset of “not the perfect fit but a fit nonetheless”. Ultimately, it translates to people choosing relationships that seem relatively straightforward, despite it not being what they want.

As frustrating as it can be, this phenomenon truly speaks to the sexuality of everyone involved. Sexuality is complicated enough, and often goes unquestioned. Exploring one’s preferences is already a daunting task, and although has a very special place in college, is not always easy to pursue. There is a lot that holds people back, and whether it’s one’s

first kiss, or something a few steps further than that into queerdom, sexuality is heavily guided by what we believe society expects from us.

“People may feel more comfortable in a heterosexual-passing relationship”, Indigo Olson ‘20 said. This suggests that amidst fear of social ridicule and internalized homophobia, it’s easier to just date that bro from your philosophy class.

So much holds people back. Society is screaming at the queer youth to sublimate and dispose of their desires, whether overtly or through more insidious manners such as representation (or lack thereof) in the media.

More than anything, this stirs an aversion to different lifestyles within all of us, one that can be worked through, but not easily. At the end of the day it is simply about recognizing our de facto collective deference to cis-men, and questioning it when observed internally. But there is hope. We live in a time and place that has been more welcoming to gay culture than many of us have witnessed in precedent. Gay tinder is flourishing, and much of the community, particularly on campus, actively celebrates their sexuality together over parties such as “Queggers” and the like.

This acts as a testament to how far we have come, but based on my current track record, have to go.

I like my guys, but it is time to prioritize my life a bit differently (and maybe even get some homework done amidst it all).

Photo courtesy of Pride

The Ultimate Roommate Selection Quiz Forget questions about messiness...this here is the real shit.

By Sarah Nunez ‘22 Staff Writer

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s we find ourselves crossing through the hell that is the Scripps room selection process, I have decided to cultivate the perfect test to see if your friend and you will in fact be #roomategoalz, or if you will be requesting a transfer by

mid-October.

1. Pick a contraband: a. Candles b. Fairy Lights c. Drugzzz d. Stray dog 2. Pick a 5C party to get TRASHED at a. Toga b. Pirate Party c. Eurobash d. Paint Party

3. How often will your roomie be sexiled? a. Get real comfortable with the rec room… b. Only when there’s isn’t anything else to do c. Sexiled? d. I mean…you can watch if you want ;) 4. What’s your star sign? a. Taurus (ew) b. Why does this matter? c. I’m an ENFP d. My actual sign is Pisces, and my moon rising is Leo, and tech nically my sun is a Taurus, but I’m definitely more in line with Sagittarius.

5. Pick a Motley Drink. a. black coffee b. A spicy chai, EXTRA dirty c. A non-fat, blended matcha cha cha with extra whip* d. Iced Latte- a basic bitch.

6. Which dorm best describes you a. Toll- an old soul that stinks of weed b. Routt- controversial c. Browning- waking everyone up at 3am with my shenanigans. Also, haunted. d. 240 House- kind of nasty… but a good time *A complete pain in the ass for all baristas.

Photo courtesy of Scripps College

18 April, 2019 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXVIII • Issue Nine

10 • Arts & Entertainment

Woman at War: A Guide to Radical Environmental Activism

By Theodora Helgason ’22 Staff Writer

“W

oman at War” is an Icelandic film that chronicles environmental activist, Halla, as she radically fights the aluminium industry that is sabotaging Iceland’s environment. Directed

by Benedikt Erlingsson and starring Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir, the film deals with both the war on the earth as well as the war in Ukraine, when Halla is given the opportunity to adopt a Ukranian girl named Nika who lost her family to the war. Halla struggles with the desire to give Nika a home while also feeling devoted to her radical protection of the earth. The government is determined to reframe the anonymous Mountain Woman (Halla’s alias), as an enemy to Iceland’s economy and hope to identify and imprison the infamous activist.

The film tackles issues big and small, from capitalism’s role in sabotaging the environment to the choice many women find themselves forced to make between becoming a mother and fulfilling one’s calling.

The characters of Halla and her twin sister Ása, also played by Geirharðsdóttir, complement and contrast one another well. Halla is an environmental activist concerned with improving the world around her, whereas Ása is a yoga-instructor concerned with improving her inner-self. Halla inspires the audience to change the world whereas Ása seems blind to the fact that the world needs change.

Even Ása does not know that Halla is the Mountain Woman. In fact, when the Mountain Woman becomes a topic of conversation between the sisters, Ása claims that the Mountain Woman is selfish, impulsive, and employing the wrong tactics even though Ása agrees that the earth must is endangered. Halla defends the Mountain Woman and explains that radical activism is necessary, but the two remain of differing opinions.

The only person who knows the Mountain Woman’s identity is a government worker in Halla’s choir who becomes more and more anxious throughout the film when the Chinese are thinking of pulling out of investment in Iceland’s aluminum industry because of the Mountain Woman. Although he agrees that the government’s actions against the environment are immoral, his anxiety causes him to leave Halla without a source in the government when he is afraid of being found out.

Although dealing with serious themes, the story is told as a fable and is framed by music performed by a band of three musicians, playing the tuba, piano, trumpet, accordion, and percussion. Only Halla can see these musicians and they serve to express her emotions while her journey progresses. They often appear when she is alone in the countryside of Iceland disrupting the aluminum industry with her bow and arrow.

The motif of music continues with three traditional Ukranian singers dressed in flowers who deliver an emotional song when Halla is debating adopting Nika while covertly vandalizing the structures that are wrecking Iceland’s landscape. This concert of musicians complement one another and follow her throughout her journey. The two musical groups, one instrumental and one vocal, one Scandinavian and one Eastern European, function as the manifestation of Halla’s two desires that go hand in hand — to help save the entire earth and to help save just one child.

This is a testament to how helping just one child can theoretically have as significant an effect as saving the world.

Contrary to what Halla — and the audience think — her two ambitions are not at war with one another.

Rather, they are linked, as shown through the music they create together. Halla hopes to protect both the earth and Nika from the wars against them.

Originating from their respective nations, the musical groups foreshadow Halla and Nika’s adoption of one another as well as putting forth themes of global acceptance and understanding.

The concept of foreignness in the film is embodied in a lost Spanish-speaking tourist travelling on a motorbike across the serene Icelandic countryside played by Juan Camillo Roman Estrada. The influx of foreigners to Iceland could have been better represented by several characters rather than one.

Iceland is a country with a population of about 330,000. In 2018 alone, 2.3 million people visited the country. The tourism industry in Iceland has skyrocketed and been detrimental to the land that remained virtually untouched for many years. This is the land that Halla has set out to protect and although a booster to Iceland’s economy, tourism, like the aluminum industry, is detrimental to the land. The film fails to demonstrate the environmental impact this tourism has on Iceland.

A Surreal Exhibit at Pitzer

By Ali Bush ’19 Music Columnist

“S

urreal” is a not a normal art exhibit. The show in Pitzer’s Barbara Hinshaw Gallery is a cozy, artistic experiment that questions what it means to dream. Organized by Danielle New PZ ’19, the show explores the unconscious through poetry, photography, technology, and art.

Students from the 5Cs, including studio art and neuroscience majors, contributed pieces that illustrate what surrealism means to them.

Located on the second floor of the cozy Grove House, “surreal” is not like the normal “whitecube” exhibit space. As you move through fuchsia drapes into the small room of the show, it is clear that this exhibition disrupts traditional modes of displaying art. While there are many flat, framed images hung on the walls, there are also very interactive pieces, such as a bed to lounge on and a dream journal to write in. The show also features an iPad station where you can look up songs from the top 100 Billboard charts of different years that contain the word “dream.” These interactive elements force visitors to really think about their own experiences with dreaming rather than simply viewing other artists’ imagery of dreams.

New explains that this interdisciplinary approach aims to “merge the divide between art and other forms of knowledge and expression.”

The show is accompanied by a zine that contains poetic statements by the featured artists. In this sense, the show encapsulates the deep connection between visual arts and the written word. New has successfully revealed that dreams can be approached from multiple angles: from painting, science, poetry, assemblage, and

The foreigner on the motorbike becomes a prime target of the Icelandic police when they are trying to catch Halla for her radical activism, which the government has labeled as terrorism. This sparks further discussion about the perception of foreignness in a country that has seen little immigration for hundreds of years, until now. The Icelandic police criminalize the foreigner, whereas Halla welcomes a foreigner into her home. The police’s racism and xenophobia further represent how the Icelandic government needs to change.

Ultimately, Halla is captured and identified as the terrorist due to the fact that the Icelandic government has DNA records of its entire population. In the 1990s, deCODE Genetics, a Rekjavík based company, realized that Iceland was the perfect population for genetic testing because it is a country obsessed with family trees and with very little foreigners involved in reproduction. Everyone in Iceland gave their blood so that genetic diseases could be studied by the company. Because of this, there is a genetic bank in Iceland that has the entire population’s DNA. Thus, when Halla accidentally cuts herself near a power line and her blood is captured, she is captured too. To a non-Icelandic audience, the immediate identification of Halla may be perceived as unlikely or an implication that Halla has committed a crime in the past. For this reason, I believe the film could better address the history of genetic testing in Iceland.

When Halla is identified by the police and imprisoned, Ása surprisingly comes to her rescue and switches clothing with her during a private moment in her cell so that Halla can get Nika from the orphanage in Ukraine.

The last scenes of the film leave Iceland’s and follow Halla on her journey to adopt Nika in Ukraine.

On the way back from the orphanage, the bus Halla and Nika are taking begins to sink in water. Halla carries Nika, protecting her from getting wet, as their entourage of musicians follows them on the journey up the hill and on the way back to Iceland.

Overall, the film is a beautiful discussion of the obligations we have to both the Earth and humanity and how we go about fulfilling those obligations.

“Woman at War” transcends genre in its discussion of issues big and small, and of a small country in a global context.

experiences. By expanding the idea as this show does, we destroy rigid lines between traditional high art and popular culture. This idea allows anyone to be an artist within any medium. “surreal” expands the idea of art, suggesting that there is no correct way to capture the human experience.

18 April, 2019 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXVIII • Issue Nine

Entertainment & Lifestyle • 11

A cappella at the 5Cs: Like Pitch Perfect, but with less Anna Kendrick

By Sarah Nunez ’22 Staff Writer

I

t’s an unusually cool Tuesday night. Slowly but surely, the Frary steps slowly begin to fill. The night begins with Women’s Blue and White, the only women’s a cappella group at the Claremont Colleges. The women stand in a semi-circle, nervously smiling at the audience. The usual greetings are done, and as Sam Bloomfield ’22 takes center stage, she begins to belt with the best of them.

According to Bloomfield, the bond that she and her group share is something that is “so special… everyone is so supportive and kind and it is genuinely such a great experience.”

They begin with their rendition of the Chainsmokers’ Roses. Filled with a bubbly energy, and some fun dancing, the group seemed to genuinely enjoy being there.

Dressed in blue jeans and with nervous smiles, the group gave off a casual sweetness.

The next group was Midnight Echo, and with their matching sweatshirts, and confident swagger, they captivated the audience.

They began with a fun, bouncy, and vocally impressive version of Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now, a rather difficult song, but the group,

ask

Lue

Q

A

with their infectious energy, truly shined.

With such a high-energy performance, it was easy to forget how beautiful and impressive the group’s vocals were. The song continued into an key change that had me suppress a squeal: Bryan Williams CMC ’21 was a true performer that night, and had the crowd bouncing along with him as he hit each note with a ring of confidence. Bryan, if you are reading this, I am attaching my phone number to the end of this article.* The following week, I saw the After School Specials (ASS), who had been hyped up so much, I felt fear of disappointment. The group, with cleverly made “ASS-hats,” were self assured and had the vocals to back this up. Their rendition of Evergreen was filled with soul, heart, and was a really breathtaking performance. The audience was clearly enthralled, and the performance felt like a genuinely moving experience for all who were listening.

The vocalist, Julia Rodgers PO ’21, showed off her range with some powerful riffs, and the group knew exactly how to balance and blend together. I had the chance to speak to a few group members after their performance,

Luena Maillard is a junior 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 schoolers.

She is currently working as a PHE here on campus, and you can find her during her office hours at Tiernan Field House for oneon-one conversations!

Dear Lue, How does the way your parents love each other shape the way you love your partners in the future?

- Oedipal Arrangements

Hey Oedipal Arrangements!

What a name you have.. And very interesting question! So far, research has shown a bit of an obvious trend, that if parents have a good relationship, their children will likely have healthy relationships too. This is not always the rule the other way around though. Children from parents with unhealthy relationships are not guaranteed a life of unhealthy relationships themselves by any means. However, they might have to pay extra attention to their feelings and behaviors.

Take the example of a person whose mother left the family when they were two years old. This person might go through life with an underlying belief that their partner will inevitably leave you. Clearly, this could affect their future relationships. Being in tune with these potential sore spots from the past and talking through them with a therapist

or a friend can help. We must remember that the people a child lives with are the first example of familial relationships, romantic relationships, and cohabitation that a child is exposed to.

One study in 2009 (Miga, Erin M et al.) suggested that while hostile interactions between parents have shown to have negative effects on how those kids deal with conflict, if parents engaged in constructive conflict resolution in front of the child it is associated with a decrease in aggressive behavior and with the child feeling more stable and able to learn how to work things out. This shows the value of good nonviolent communication and problem solving in childhood, and whether or not we got to see that as children, we can all work to practice nonviolent communication with the people around us.

-Lue

and they told me about their experience with a cappella at the colleges.

According to Malik Power PO ‘21, the group has a “work hard, play hard” mentality. The After School Specials, in particular, tended to not take themselves too seriously, while maintaining a respect and appreciation for their work and the music.

I also asked group members about the relationships between the groups. I was hoping to find some gossip, perhaps stories about showdowns featuring jazz hands and spontaneous dance numbers. However, the groups were quick to dismiss this.

What I was excited to hear about, however, was the positive dynamics between the groups. And while I was dying to hear about potentially Glee-worthy riff-offs or drama, the groups seem to all be working towards the same goal of creating something moving, inspiring, fun, and positive.

Each group has their own vibe, their own personality, and their own voice. This is clear when you watch them perform. *(972)-757-5157

Q

Dear Lue, How do you tell a friend that you’re worried about the way they use sex without slut shaming?

- No Judgement

A

Hey No Judgement!

This is definitely a sensitive topic that can be very difficult to approach, but I have some ideas that might help you to have a conversation with your friend.

First, ask yourself what it is exactly you are worried about. When it comes to sexual health, it’s fair to be worried if you know someone does not practice safer sex or does not discuss STI risks with partners. It may also be warranted to worry if their actions seem at odds with what they say they want.

An example of this could be if they say they only feel comfortable with sex in relationships, yet have hookups on the weekend.

It is also important to remember that there is no way to know intent without asking your friend directly. Whatever it is that is worrying you about your friend, start the conversation by asking them how they’re doing and how they’re feeling about their relationships.

Finally, try not to have an opinion or a judgement one way or the other, really just try to listen to what they are saying about how they feel. I hope this helps make the situation more approachable!

-Lue

18 April, 2019 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXVIII • Issue Nine

12 • Features

Steal Their Heart, Not Their Food

By Kendal Lowery ’22 Staff Writer

10 Very Real Tips For How To Prevent Food Theft

A

re you fed up with explicitly labeling and securing your food items, only to find them missing the next day? Are you sick of your peers coming into your dorm room and stealing your food and clothing? Are you tired of mysteriously finding your birthday cakes partially eaten by unknown individuals, who, for all you know, could have a highly contagious strain of oral herpes? There has been a group of thieves running rampant on Scripps campus for quite some time; this dilemma has inspired me to compile a guide of some steps that may be taken in order to avoid losing your food or clothing to these masked bandits.

Me and my roommates both had entire pints of ice creams stolen at least twice from the clark kitchen. I ended up buying a drying rack bc my things would get stolen if I left them in the laundry room to dry on the clothes lines. My suite used to leave the door to our common room unlocked, and someone literally took my speaker from inside my room... like fuck person Do you at least want the charger it’s useless to me now I also bought a drying rack because people’s stuff kept getting stolen from the browning laundry room my first year. There was someone who consistently would steal things (all different types of clothing of all different sizes) the entire year. Also when I lived at Scripps over the summer, I left my pan and spatula in the Kimbo kitchen to dry. Someone used my pan without asking and then left it in the sink dirty without cleaning it and another person took my spatula and put it in the Wilbur kitchen without saying anything and I found it a couple weeks later. Literally hung up a dress to dry in the Kimberly laundry room and never saw it again, very sad. BOY do I have a fuckin STORY. Two years ago I put a birthday cake my mom got me from some crust (which she nicely ordered me from across the country cause 1. Place your food into a labeled bag. Secure this bag in a padlocked box and I was a sad lonely freshman and douse it with gorilla glue before placing it at the very back of the communal she didn’t want me to be sad on fridge. Make sure to swallow the lock’s sole key to ensure that you keep it my bday) in the Frankel kitchen fridge with a on your person at all times. bunch of sticky 2. Always finish your birthday cake on the actual date of your birth (or, better yet, notes clearly marking it as the week prior). Every thief knows that as soon as the clock strikes twelve, mine and telling people not to all birthday privileges are revoked and that dessert is fair game to anyone eat it and then some asshole ate JUST THE who happens upon it.

I N S I D E ( s e e 3. Avoid all communal fridges unless you want to rid yourself of your food. pic)??? And left crumbs all over Freezer = FREEzer. ReFREEgerator. Ice cream, mochi, and other frozen foods the floor and was generally a trash human get are post-college luxuries. your mini pie pan 4. Anything placed on either kitchen or laundry room drying racks is immediately back! You mean the one that placed under “finders keepers” rules. Leaving your clothing, pots, and pans to went missing from GJW 2nd dry in a communal setting automatically sends a notification to 5C For Sale/ f l o o r k i t c h e n yesterday? With For Free with the latitude and longitude of your item, which then changes a chocolate pie in it? Yes, I’d love ownership to the first student that reaches those coordinates. Remain active to see it in front of Frankel suite and vigilant on Facebook in order to intercept these alerts and to reclaim 300! I knew that I shouldn’t trust a n y p re c i o u s your items if necessary. f o o d i n t h e 5. In order to prevent people from entering your room and taking clothing or c o m m u n a l fridge. I had snacks, enclose the entrance to your dorm room with barbed wire fencing family visit and I ended up with some leftovers as a precautionary measure. that I put into the 6. If your items are taken, a post on social media oftentimes goes unanswered, fridge, including some cake. but may lead to surprising perks: “I had two pairs of jeans stolen from the The cake was at the bottom laundry room and my favorite T-shirt I won in a beer pong tournament. of the bag and the bag was tied Strangely, after posting on the [Facebook] page, the shirt was returned with s h u t s o y o u couldn’t see in. a stain on it… Not only was the shirt returned — a whole basket of stolen Someone took some leftover laundry from random students (including the shirt) was placed in our room.” pasta and the cake and I was so upset. I can’t recounted Scripps student Gretta Richardson ’19. What a deal! b e l i e v e t h a t 7. Your vigilant presence does not guarantee the safety of your belongings; there are people who honestly students have witnessed the theft and consumption of their pizza firsthand. think it’s alright to take people’s 8. Set up a clandestine security camera to guard your clothing while it’s washing; stuff. In GJW the doors don’t a resourceful thief has been able to override washer locking mechanisms to a l w a y s s h u t completely (even if locked), steal eight pairs of leggings mid-cycle. s o s o m e o n e 9. Throw thieves off their rhythm by storing your lingerie in the fridge and your k e p t c o m i n g in and stealing food from my food in the dryer. My frozen peas have never been safer — or cleaner. roommate’s and 10. Like any good Scripps student, reject the capitalist conception of ownership; my room. I was looking for an unopened box if you don’t possess anything, nothing can be stolen from you. of cornflakes that my parents bought me when I moved in for months. It wasn’t until a full loaf of bread and granola bars got stolen from a hidden spot under my roommate’s bed that I realized that someone had stolen all of those things! Another time, I had an unopened pint of ice cream in a communal fridge and someone took a single scoop from it, then left it on the counter to melt. This wasn’t just “im gonna sneak a bite and it’ll be nbd”—by leaving it out they actively made the decision to ruin the entire thing. I was on my period at the time and literally went back to my room and cried I had two pairs of jeans stolen from the laundry room and my favorite T-shirt I won in a beer pong tournament. Strangely after posting on the fb page the shirt was returned with a stain on it. So that’s kind of weird! Not only was the shirt ‘returned’- a whole basket of mysterious laundry (including the shirt) was placed in our room by some random person. I left the kitchen for literally one minute during finals week and someone stole my Keurig that I was going to wash. Posted everywhere on facebook, it was never seen again.

18 April, 2019 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXVIII • Issue Nine

SPOTLIGHT

6

7

On Writing Thesis While Mentally Ill Writing senior theses can be a very stressful proccess for students, especially those suffering from mental illnesses. Sasha Rivera ’19 weighs in on some advice for how to take care of yourself while writing your thesis.

By Sasha Rivera ‘19 Staff Writer

main answer would have to be that I spread myself too thin, and yet again, I overestimated my abilities. I did not listen to my therapist, and other support systems in my life, who warned that doing two large, writingintensive theses in one semester might not be the healthiest course of action for me. You see, academia is not very forgiving of mental illness. The bureaucracy and strict deadlines do not care that you are burnt out and cannot even look at your computer screen without immediately dissociating, or that putting all of your available energy into this massive academic project means that you don’t have any of yourself left to give to your other classes and commitments.

Especially in an institution with mental health resources as inadequate as those at Scripps College, it doesn’t matter if you are isolating yourself and don’t even have the willpower to attend fun events; if you want to graduate, you’re expected to just suck it up and deal with it.

And it’s not just administration and policy; there’s a social pressure as well to push yourself to the limit so you can somehow measure up to your successful classmates. No one wants to admit weakness — that doesn’t look good on a LinkedIn profile.

Is it comforting, or is it daunting, to hear someone respond with anything other than “I’m fine.”?

But, it doesn’t have to be like this. Thesis does not have to be a cold, isolating battle of academia with both institutional and social pressure. As a senior close to finishing this arduous process, I would like to offer some advice, and let future thesis-writers learn from my mistakes in navigating thesis while dealing with mental illness and the unique hardships that it brings. I can only speak to my experiences, but if you find my words helpful then that is all

I can ask for.

I’ve struggled with anxiety, depression, inattention issues, and disordered eating for probably the majority of my life.

I come from a household where my worth is determined by my success and achievements. In Russian culture, discussions of mental health are almost taboo, and I grew up constantly being compared to the children of my mother’s other Russian friends.

It was an almost constant battle of who could get better grades, be involved in the most extracurriculars, and get into the best colleges.

As you can imagine, living in such a pressure cooker with minimal consideration for my mental health — therapy was so stigmatized that it was used as a threat — only exacerbated those issues. I did not start any type of mental health treatment, even therapy, until the end of my junior year of college.But,though I am starting to recognize how my mental illnesses affect me and my abilities, I still struggle to escape the mindset that if I am not overloading myself with academic work, I am a failure.

As a result, I overcommit myself, and then must put myself into worse mental states as I deal with the consequences.

So, the biggest piece of advice I can offer for anyone struggling

with mental health who is about to take on thesis is to know your limits. Whether you are trying to decide if you should do two theses in the same semester, or are figuring out how many classes to take while doing your thesis, put your own well-being first. You don’t have to prove anything by overloading and making yourself suffer later; you are already doing an amazing job.

Everyone’s energy levels and workload abilities are different.

Just because a classmate might be able to handle five classes and a thesis does not mean that they are superior or that you are a disappointment. Constantly comparing yourself to others does not accomplish anything aside from invalidating your own achievements. You are worth more than your ability to tolerate stress, you are worth more than how well you can function while being overworked. Having a packed and difficult schedule with too many classes and/or multiple theses may seem impressive on paper, but overestimating yourself will only hurt you in the long run by exacerbating any mental illnesses you may have and reducing the quality of your projects.

Another thing I wish I had started doing earlier is to stop

While trying to constantly make plans with friends is difficult, try to marry your studying and hanging out when possible by working on homework and thesis together. Spending time with other people — even if it is just to do work — can help you stay focused without having to isolate yourself to do so.

fixating on thesis as a personal hell, and instead try to focus on a more positive representation of it. Thesis is an opportunity to study new information and theories, to make unique contributions to your field.

It’s an exciting culmination of how you’ve learned and grown since your first year. This is also why it is essential to choose a topic you’ll enjoy studying and are genuinely curious about. I knew a lot about the presence of witches in American social justice scenes, but I knew

intuition with these changes.

Moreover, what helped me have fewer panic attacks about thesis was comparing it to my accomplishments in previous semesters in terms of the amount of writing. Every semester I was already writing enough papers to constitute a thesis, so though the large page-length requirement seems daunting at first, remind yourself that you have done this before and can do it again; you are capable of it. You can do it.

Now, all of that is not to say that thesis is not hard and that

Graphic by Emilie Hu

hen someone asks me W what my biggest thesis mistake and regret has been, my

Graphic by Olivia Klein

nothing about this subject in the context of France; this is how I ended up choosing my French thesis subject. I chose something that is personally interesting and impacts my life outside of academic settings, so my thesis was able to become more than just a difficult project I needed to finish in order to graduate.

Though I recommend thinking about topics as early as possible, it’s important to understand that as you do research, write, and reflect on ideas, your topic is likely to change, and these changes could be large or minimal. Trust your

positivity will fix everything.

Thesis is a very tough and long process, there is no denying that. But, especially if you have issues with anxiety, fixating on the difficulties of thesis constantly will only make it more difficult by putting you in a constant state of dread. You’ll get burnt out much quicker if you don’t remind yourself that there is nuance and purpose to thesis, and that even though it is difficult, you can benefit and grow from the work you will do for it. Thinking of thesis solely as your nemesis will make you want to work on it even less.

18 April, 2019 • The Scripps Voice • Volume XXVIII • Issue Nine

Of course, life can be unfair and circumstances can arise that will put you in a position where you are overloaded with work and struggling; example A: me and my two simultaneous theses.

As much as you may understand your limits and capabilities, sometimes the situation may work out to where you are in over your head. How do you survive this while dealing with issues like executive dysfunction and depression? Well, it’s not going to be a breeze or a party, but you can survive and reach the end. It is doable.

Setting up a schedule for yourself in the beginning of the semester, especially if your thesis is independent rather than seminar-based,is very important.

It will help you pace yourself and give you some organization so there will be less floundering.

Having your own schedule gives you the power to customize it to your energy and comfort levels, and you can alter it as you see fit. Don’t just work on this alone, craft your schedule with your thesis readers. Work together to figure out a process that will utilize your strengths and keep the panic attacks or depressive episodes to a minimum. They will help keep you on track.

And since you have this schedule, make sure to give yourself time to put thesis away and relax. Mental health days are just as important as sick days. Whether it’s just to sleep or to take a day trip with

friends, mental health days are important and will help keep the burn out at bay. Understand that you’re going to also have some bad days or weeks where you might not accomplish as much as you originally planned to. Don’t punish yourself for these bad periods or for taking breaks. Sometimes a plateau is necessary before a breakthrough.

Moreover, you are not a failure because you are not a robot capable of peak performance at every second. You are a human being, and these worse periods are your body’s way of telling you to relax and take a break.

Beating yourself up over it will just make it last longer, while taking a breather and coming back to your work with fresher eyes could ultimately help your thesis.

The thesis process can be extremely isolating, which, combined with mental health issues, can be a nightmare, especially if you do not have access to adequate therapy, medication, and support. Try to find solidarity with the other students writing thesis in your major and/or seminar class and maybe set up study groups or a group chat. While trying to constantly make plans with friends is difficult, try to marry your studying and hanging out when possible by working on homework and thesis together.

Spending time with other people — even if it is just to do work — can help you stay

focused without having to isolate yourself to do so.

In addition, don’t bottle up your feelings: be honest with how you are functioning during this time.

Being upfront about your struggles can be cathartic, and even help your peers who might be feeling the same way know they aren’t alone in their experiences.

This honesty about wellbeing and mental state can break down the barriers of LinkedIn perfection and build community.

Most importantly, be honest with your thesis readers about your mental health and how it affects your thesis. I regret not doing so, because I feel that it would offer more explanation as to why I can’t always meet deadlines and what my overall experience writing thesis has been like. I wish I had been more upfront with my professors about where I am struggling in terms of my thesis and mental health, but it’s too late at this point. So, don’t make my mistakes; you don’t have to have my regrets.

Every person and situation is different, so not all of my suggestions might apply to you or work for you, and that’s okay. But I want to end with a positive note that hopefully can fit everyone, and that is that you are valid. Your struggles are valid, and the work you are doing is important. But at the end of the day, your wellness and health are more important than your productivity, so do not feel guilty for prioritizing yourself beyond the scope of academics.

Although it’s hard, you can get through this. Be kind to yourself.