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Bittersweet: The Motley Reopening
By Leah Gorence ’28 Staff Writer
One month after closing The Motley Coffeehouse, Scripps President Amy Marcus-Newhall announced its reopening on Nov. 5 in an email to the student body.
While many members of the student body were happy to have the student space back, Scripps administration had certain conditions for the reopening. Now, instead of the vibrant student art and other decorations that were once proudly featured in the space, The Motley walls are completely blank.
“The blank walls are honestly one of the most depressing things and uncharacteristic of the ethos of The Motley,” a Motley manager, who asked to remain anonymous, said in an interview.
The Motley was forced to close on Oct. 5 due to the administration initially finding the display of the Palestinian flag out of compliance with the college's posting policy outlined in Code 4.1 of the Code of Conduct, as stated in the Motley Barista Statement. In a meeting with administration, the Motley was given a choice between issuing an open call for submissions, where an administrator would decide what would be appropriate, or opening with blank walls. In a Motley town hall meeting hosted on Nov. 12, a Motley manager said that “The Motley’s decorations have never before required the college’s approval.”
At the town hall, the staff maintained their willingness to engage in discourse with the administration, saying, “We wanted to find a way for our decorations to stay up in the space and for us to maintain our autonomy in a way that would be amenable to the college.”
Immediately before the closure, Motley managers expressed to the administration that they were looking forward to continuing the conversation about the Motley decoration policy in a productive and meaningful way. The Motley staff received no prior notice of the Motley’s closure and were made aware of it at the same time as the general student body.
What became immediately apparent when speaking to Scripps students about The Motley was that this was about so much more than a coffeehouse. “When The Motley is not open at the beginning of the semester, which is just inherent in our hiring process, Scripps is dead,” a Motley manager said. “Seal Court is depressing, and pretty consistently more empty.”
The Motley is the beating heart of campus.
IN THIS ISSUE
Work It!: "In The Works" Showcases 5C Dancers
In an interview via email, a Motley barista echoed this thought. “This is a place where I can show up, exist, and run into all these people I care about,” they said. “That’s what a community space is. Otherwise, people hole up in their rooms, and I never see them.”
The closure of The Motley was also innately more challenging for minority students, who may feel like they lack other community spaces on campus. The interviewed barista, who identifies as a queer person of color, elaborated on this position. “Scripps College is not an institution with many community spaces, especially for marginalized students (particularly Black and Brown students, other students of color, and workingclass students) trying to find a sense of belonging at a predominantly white and wealthy institution,” they said. “This college, like so many, has a history of draining and constraining spaces for marginalized students.”
Reflecting on the impact of other impositions on The Motley, the barista highlighted how the removal of decorations and art can contribute to loss of ownership over the space, which once felt so accepting and empowering. “We had to take down art that said ‘Black Lives Matter’ and ‘Trans Lives Matter,’” the barista said. “We also had to take down art that called attention to violence as a result of imperialism in the Congo and Sudan, as well as Palestine. There was art that was created and donated by affinity groups like Café Con Leche [a Latinx student affinity group]. These give marginalized students a sense of safety, belonging, and brightness.”
Staff feelings surrounding the reopening are mixed. “It's great that we
Our Students Deserve Better: How Scripps Fails as a Historically Women's College
have the space back,” the manager said. “It's bitter that it's not under our terms. It's bitter that we had to open with blank walls. It's bitter that The Motley has always been an autonomous space, and now it's not.”
Many students and Motley staff recognize the removal of student art as a repression of student autonomy and expression over the space.
At The Motley town hall meeting, one student had written that the space now felt, “like an admin’s office.” Now that The Motley no longer has the autonomy to decide what can and cannot be put up in their business, the student-run space feels less so. “Students aren’t oblivious, we know what it feels like when a space is for and by us, and we know when that autonomy is being restricted,” the barista said.
Scripps’s administration has prided itself on The Motley's history as a place of intersectional feminism and political activism. However, the administration's celebration of The Motley's activism seems to fall under the category of the Palestinian exception, part of a growing repression of Palestinian advocacy. “The college is all for independence, courage, and critical thought until it comes into conflict with its profit or donors,” the barista said.
Motley baristas explained that by forcing The Motley to take down the Palestinian flag, the administration is undermining its history of student expression. “The Motley has always been political,” the manager said. “To classify it as anything different is to completely shift the entire ethos that Scripps has been promoting for years.”
“Let’s Work It Out On The Remix”: How to Do a Feature Right
“In my opinion, in 10 or 20 years the Claremont Colleges will be saying how proud they are of the students who stood up for justice,” the barista said.
As of the time of this writing, The Motley remains in this state of limbo, where they are open but not on their terms. “It is absurd, and a reflection of the political repression in this country and across the 5Cs that merely hanging a flag that represents people experiencing genocide would merit a shut down,” the barista said. As The Motley and the administration continue to engage in discourse surrounding The Motley’s expression, it is imperative that students support in whatever ways they can.
“I’m glad it’s reopened but the fight for the space is not over,” the barista said.
The Claremont Student Worker Alliance (CSWA) has been active in their advocacy for The Motley student workers. The barista stressed the importance for students to oppose the bans placed on students at Pomona for allegedly participating in a pro-Palestinian protest — a majority of whom are first-generation, low income, students of color.
The fear is a future where The Motley is surveilled and sanitized. But students continue to stand up for what they believe The Motley’s future should look like. At a recent town hall meeting about The Motley's reopening, participants were encouraged to write how they felt about the space on a sheet of white butcher paper displayed in the space. The responses varied. One piece of writing stated: “Inspiring - The empty space is for us to fight.”
And They Were Coworkers: A Memorandum on TSV-cest
Photo courtesy of Claremont Undercurrents
Security Removal at Denison Library
By Charlotte Korer ’27 Copy Editor Intern
On Nov. 12, the security stationed in front of Denison Library was removed, nearly a month after Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty Mary Hatcher-Skeers emailed the Scripps student body regarding new entry protocols, including private security stationed outside the entryway and required ID swipe in.
“One of the things that was so heart-breaking for me about the security is that no one was ever at Denison,” an anonymous Denison Staff Member ’25 said. “Which made sense because people didn’t like having their bag searched, their water bottle taken away, and that whole thing is not pleasant.”
In the following weeks, as students continued to express their disapproval of the security, the administration’s original fear of Denison vandalism seemed to die down. In an email to The Scripps Voice, Hatcher-Skeers said that she took part in its removal “in consultation with senior staff and Jennifer Martinez Wormser, director of the Denison Library.”
From the beginning, Denison student staff were the most reluctant regarding the increased security measures and felt they were informed of the changes as an afterthought. There was no direct communication between Scripps administration and Denison student staff.
“Two weeks after the study-in, Jennifer received an email that said the security measures were going to be implemented for the rest of the semester,” the anonymous Denison worker said. “That was really bad for our [Denison staff] morale because it felt like it was going to go on forever.”
While administration said additional security would last through the Fall semester, security measures ended up being removed before Thanksgiving break. Denison student staff received no explicit notice of what security at Denison would look like in the future.
“I don’t know how they ended up deciding to go back on that, but that was done when I went to Amy’s [Marcus-Newhall] office hours and she told us that she had played a role in that [removing security],” the Denison worker said.
After Thanksgiving break, the security measures were lightened at Denison but only partially repealed.
“We came in the next morning and the security was gone,” the Denison worker said. “However, with that being said, they still had the scanning device being used and they still blocked off the metal gating around the Rare Book Room.”
Students must now tap into Denison rather than show their ID for the paper tallies of school origin kept by staff members in the past.
“Tap entry aligns with best practices for libraries,” Hatcher-Skeers said in her email. “Over winter break, we will be installing a permanent card reader like that used at Honnold Library, the same type that is used at the Tiernan Field House and Mallott Commons.”
Information from the ID tap-in station, introduced simultaneously with the private security, was originally inaccessible to Denison Library staff.
“We did not initially have access to who was tapping in, we didn’t know where it was going, but it was not going to Denison,” the anonymous student worker said. “That changed when we went to Amy’s [Marcus-Newhall] office hours and told her that.”
Marcus-Newhall was able to give Denison the information from the card readers. Staff members now use the tap-in information to track how many students enter Denison from each 5C daily. This implementation improved access and use of Denison Library and its resources. Student staff members did not know what the card reader was used for before the Denison workers had access.
“Denison has been trying to have tap access like Honnold does just to make our internal statistics easier for several years now,” the anony -
mous student said. “The way it was done makes some staff members uncomfortable because it seems like a reaction to things and a continuation of over-policing.”
While the new tap-in system benefitted Denison’s statistics, the timing gave the wrong impression to some students. The administration’s access to which students swiped into Denison, amid Pomona’s recent campus bans, made some students nervous about being associated with a highly surveilled area.
“They’re still not letting people bring in water bottles or drinks, they have to leave them on our Researcher’s Table shelves,” the anonymous student worker said. “Which is kind of a silly rule because we have coasters specifically so people can bring in their drinks.”
Despite some lasting changes, student staff noticed that Denison Library patrons seemed less intimidated to use the space without private security.
“There have been a lot more people studying at Denison and a lot more people coming back to Denison,” the anonymous student worker said. “It’s been really nice to see people enjoying the space again, that’s the most important thing for us as Denison staff.”
Ellen Wang ’25 Editor-in-Chief
Juliette Des Rosiers ’26 Editor-in-Chief
Frances Walton ’26 Editor-in-Chief
Belén Yudess ’25 Copy Editor
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Charlotte Korer ’27 Copy Editor Intern
Elita Kutateli ’26 Head Design Editor
Hannah Fawley ’27 Design Editor
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Carah Allen ’26 Webmaster
Anna Odell ’27 Social Media Manager
Image courtesy of Jeremiah H. via Yelp
Popping the Blue Bubble
by Charlotte Korer ’27 Copy Editor Intern
On Nov. 5, Vice President Kamala Harris lost the presidential election to Donald Trump. For many, this felt like a repeat of the 2016 election when Trump beat Hillary Clinton. For the majority of Scripps students, this was their first time voting, so Harris’ loss left a general sense of shock around campus. Many students had anticipated that this was finally the election that a woman of color would come to hold the most powerful position in the United States. Instead, Trump’s victory was a rude awakening for the blue bubble at Scripps College.
“My initial feelings as the results were coming in and it was leaning towards Trump was honestly dread,” Mekala Kumar ’27 said via email. “I couldn’t understand how after everything that he has said and done while in office and out, [it] didn’t matter when people were voting.” This despair reflects the shock that many Democrats in the Scripps community have had to face since the election: America still believes in Donald Trump.
“I think that when I was first watching the live results, I was initially surprised but once it settled, I wasn’t surprised,” Sofia Campagna ’27 said. Being in an overwhelmingly blue state like California, and at a historically women’s liberal arts
college, it was easy for many to get swept up in Harris’ underdog cam
-
paign and feel that her victory was inevitable.
“I had been riding a high of optimism after seeing the collective excitement about the possibility of a Harris presidency, and when she lost, it weighed me down even more,” Kumar said.
Campagna expressed a similar sentiment. “I believed the momentum that the Kamala Harris campaign pushed forward, I felt all the general media’s enthusiasm for her campaign and I believed it,” she said.
But spirits quickly fell on the night of Nov. 5, when the news of Harris’ loss was solidified. Student energy was low the following week, as many processed what this meant for the United States and the young women who attend Scripps College.
“Over the last days since the election, I’ve been trying to just carry on with my regular life,” Kumar said. “There’s nothing we can really do but keep on moving.”
Many people are following Kumar’s lead and taking post-election life day by day. Looking at the bigger picture felt overwhelming for students who believed in Harris’ campaign.
“I spent the day after the election sinking into a pit of terror as I thought about living through the next four years as a young woman,”
Evelyn Seraya Cantwell ‘28 said in a conversation with The Voice.
Others are coping by trying to understand why the majority of Americans voted for the former president.
“My biggest thing was realizing how much fear and how much people in the working class are genuinely struggling and how easily that is co-opted by conservatives and politicians in general,” Campagna said. “And I think that is the biggest failing of the Democratic party, was to actually address those real fears people have because just talking about how the economy is just on an upward trend and how it has recovered, but if people are still feeling negative impacts, then they’re not going to care that the GDP is growing or that inflation is actually down because they’re still struggling to pay their bills.”
As things have settled down in the weeks following the election, students are regrouping and preparing themselves for another Trump presidency. Specifically, students are reevaluating the blue bubble at Scripps.
“It is easy to get caught up in a more progressive culture. But it’s just not historically true,” Campagna said.
Students highlighted the importance of recognizing the differences between the political culture at a predominantly wealthy and white HWC and the rest of the United
States.
“We are in an incredibly unique microcosm here at Scripps because we have each other, united under common values,” Cantwell said. “We mustn’t forget the power we have as educated, informed, and thoughtful young women.”
Despite the uncertainty of the current political climate, many Scripps students have said that it’s unlikely much at Scripps will change with the beginning of another Trump presidency.
“I don’t think anything at Scripps will change with the results,” Kumar said. “From my perception, the general feeling of the campus is liberal which will continue no matter what happens. I would like to see more engagement with students to get more people off-campus registered to vote through phone banking, trip outreach, and even informational on-campus activities.”
“It is time to recenter, rethink, and eventually, reorganize,” Cantwell said.
“Even though this election was lost, and we may be entering an unprecedented time in the history of the US, we can’t give up the fight,” Kumar said. “To all my fellow students: engage, organize, and protest. We must keep fighting for what we want. It might take a while but in the end it will be worth it. Don’t be afraid to use your voice and demand your needs.”
Frances Walton ‘26 • The Scripps Voice
New Transparency and Accountability Committee Strives for Better Communication
By Ellie Lakatos ‘28 Staff Writer
The new 13-member Transparency and Accountability Committee is hard at work. The committee started last semester but released a formal application through the weekly SAS newsletter emails in September calling for students to join.
“[The Committee] will be run through SAS and work to increase Scripps’ responsiveness to student needs and concerns as well as including students in important conversations,” the statement said.
The founder of the committee, Marin Plut ’25, further explained the vision for the committee.
“I would like the committee to serve as an in-between for admin and the student body,” Plut said.
After attending the office hours of various Scripps College administrators, Plut found that many students asked questions that did not pertain to the administrator’s specific roles.
“Then it just kind of clicked,” she said. “People literally have no idea who to go to.”
Plut elaborated that even if students did find the right person to ask, they were often redirected to talk to their student representatives on different Scripps committees without knowing who those student representatives were.
In collaboration with the SAS Senate, the Transparency and Accountability Committee is responding to this issue by working to create a resource chart with the different Scripps offices, departments, and committees so students know their roles and who to contact. The committee also passed
bylaws, including one regarding publishing SAS office hours for all of the positions.
Before starting the committee, Plut wrote and shared a report with the administration in fall 2023 calling for more transparency and communication with the student body. Plut listed additional reasons as to why the committee was created following the report, such as a need for Scripps College to explain why decisions are made instead of denying students information, and consulting students before making new rules concerning the student body.
Plut highlighted a quote from JustLeadershipUSA, “the people closest to the problem are the people closest to the solution, but furthest from resources and power,” as a motto explaining the club’s founding.
“I think that’s something that Scripps needs to figure out, because there’s so many times where admin thinks that they know what’s best, not thinking about the fact that actually, the students live here, and this is our life, and this is our experience, that we actually might have some answers too,” Plut said.
At their weekly Friday meetings, the Transparency and Accountability Committee’s members take on individual tasks and projects such as emailing specific people for information on their roles at Scripps.
“So the meetings are kind of a checkin and then if we complete a project or a task, it’s like, what’s the next thing we want to work on?” Simran Sethi ’26, a member of the committee and SAS Vice President of Student Affairs, said. “What’s another student concern that we see that we want to address?”
Along with highlighting two situations where student voice generated action — Scripps Communities of Resources and Empowerment (SCORE) and the Student Union having 24-hour student access — Sethi described her own experiences with lack of communication with administration, such as when SAS hosted the “Boiler Room” party. She explained the struggle to find a venue due to this lack of transparency.
“Something I want to work on with the committee is getting a list of yes and nos, of places that students can host events, because this is our campus too,” Sethi said. “We should be able to hang out with our friends, or host an event for the student body on our space. There shouldn’t be so many regulations. And if there are regulations, what are they?”
Sethi continued by introducing the end objective that the committee is working toward.
“The main goal is all groups feeling comfortable communicating with one another and showing face at problems or meetings or events that get hosted,” Sethi said.
One of the committee’s other main focuses is to improve New Student Programs & Orientation (NSPO). According to Sethi, they hope to have students more involved by getting two students to sit on the NSPO committee.
“[NSPO] sets the tone for your whole Scripps experience,” Plut said. “If NSPO week is really cliquey, then like that class will be really cliquey.”
Plut highlighted what the committee hopes they will be able to transform NSPO into.
“What one of the administrators said is that NSPO should be a time
to learn about Scripps culture and traditions, and not just a whole bunch of information being read off at you,” Plut said.
Using the restorative justice mediators brought in after The Motley was closed as an example, Plut is pushing for the concept of fair process, as described by the Texas Association of School Psychologists (TASP), where “individuals are most likely to trust and cooperate freely with systems — whether they themselves win or lose by those systems — when fair process is observed.”
TASP’s three principles of fair process are engagement, explanation, and expectation clarity.
“If there were more opportunities before a decision is made to give input then the decision will probably be better for students and for admin.” Plut said. “Also it just builds trust in relationships so then when things come up we can actually talk to each other about stuff.”
However, Plut pointed out an issue of non-engagement with college students and, specifically, Scripps College students.
“Everybody loves to complain about stuff, but what did you do to try to solve that problem?” Plut said, “Did you try to change that situation?”
Plut emphasized how the Transparency and Accountability Committee was leading the initiative for students to step up and do something.
“Students need to practice transparency and participation and stuff within ourselves, probably before we would have trust doing that with admin like if there are surveys, [students] need to respond, or if there’s town halls, students need to go,” Plut said.
Scripps Presents: Janine Antoni on the Body as a Medium
By Ayden Duchovnay ’28 Staff Writer
On Nov. 12, Scripps Presents hosted Janine Antoni, a New York-based artist and performer, to discuss her body of work. Antoni’s art blurs the line between body and tool, exploring how physicality creates meaning.
Audience members Jenna Morais ’28 and Izzy McDonald ’28 reflected on the Scripps Presents event. “Seeing her in person brought an abstract idea of how an artist works into reality,” Morais said. “It’s inspiring as an artist to see that kind of intentionality and connection in someone’s work.”
“I thought it was genius — using her body in ways that most people wouldn’t think of,” McDonald said.
A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, Antoni earned an MFA from the Rhode Island School of Design. Her work has been exhibited both nationally and internationally at renowned institutions such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Irish Museum of Modern Art, and the Hayward Gallery in London. Her accolades include the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship, the Larry Aldrich Foundation Award, and a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Fellowship.
Antoni’s daughter currently attends Pitzer College.
Antoni began her presentation by introducing her first project out of graduate school, “Wean,” a study on the separation between mother and child. Through negative imprints — her breast, nipple, latex nipples for bottles, and their packaging — she explored the absence inherent in physical presence. This work marked a turning point in her career. She described the switch from real nipple to fake as a breakthrough, a transition into the artistic territory she still resides in.
“[The latex nipples] mediate our intimate interaction with our body,” Antoni explained. “They replace the body, and define the body, somehow, within the culture.”
Another early project, “Knaw,” used 500 pounds each of chocolate and lard, meticulously molded into minimalist cubes. Antoni sculpted the cube with the tool that felt most natural; her mouth.
“Believe it or not, I chewed on that for a month and a half,” she said to the audience’s laughter. The cube of lard eventually collapsed under its weight. Excess material from both was repurposed into lipsticks and chocolate packaging.
Referring to the work as her “art school exorcism,” Antoni humorously reflected, “It was pretty hilarious, for
me to be chewing on a minimalist cube. But they didn’t quite get it.” In a culture focused on consumerism, critics labeled the piece an angry critique of patriarchal art history.
Heavily inspired by 1970s performance art, her work evolved into fluid, performance-based creations. In Love and Care, she used her hair as a paintbrush, mopping a gallery floor with hair dye and claiming the space as her own. She drew inspiration from Jackson Pollock and Yves Klein, combining action painting with feminist critique. She chased “the desire to be the model and the master at the same time, and the inherent contradictions of that.”
In her adjacent piece, “Butterfly Kisses,” Antoni applied mascara to a canvas by winking — 2,248 times in total, limiting herself to 60 winks a day.
“That’s my cutoff point in masochism,” she said, eliciting laughter from the audience.
For Antoni, the act of creation is as vital as the finished piece. This ethos is evident in works like “Mortar and Pestle,” a photograph of her licking her ex-husband’s eye — a gesture she described as tasting his vision, attempting to “see” the world through his perspective.
Her collaboration with choreographer Anna Halprin resulted
in “Paper Dance,” a performance piece that wove together movement and reflection on her previous sculptures, bridging the gap between her work and identity.
More recently, Antoni has embraced large-scale installations. In “I Am Fertile Ground,” commissioned by Brooklyn’s Green-Wood Cemetery, gilded bone-framed images and live affirmations transformed the catacombs into a meditation on life’s connection to the body. After the performance, Antoni’s audience practiced ecstatic dancing.
In “Here-ing,” an ongoing collaboration with the University of Kansas, she has created a labyrinth shaped like a human ear, designed to foster healthier grasslands while engaging audiences in an exploration of listening and growth.
From submerging herself into a bathtub of lard, convincing a spider to create a web between her legs, and peeing off the Chrysler Building, Antoni’s art challenges social norms and perceptions of intimacy.
As Antoni concluded, she reflected on the thematic cohesivity of her oeuvre: “To me, they are all the same work. Even though their form is radically different, it is all about two forms trying to come together, and then meaning happening in their resistance, even in spite of me.”
Work It!: "In The Works" Showcases 5C Dancers
By Lila Gamble ’25 Staff Writer
"In The Works," the end-of-semester showcase for the intercollegiate dance departments at the 5C’s, culminated in performances that embraced the intricacies of the dream state, homages to unabashed queerness, explorations of desire, memory, and collective participation. As the showcase title suggests, the choreographers use this chance to respond to their dancers and test out new movements crafted over the semester. Within these thematic influences, students can express the gap between language and intuition through an art form that relies on a lack of dialogue, using only the body to illustrate the complexities of being. This range and variety are characteristic of the department at large, which encourages experimentation within the respective medium. The program contained seven shows, including three iterations of Program A and Program B at Pendleton Dance Center, with Program C occurring at Richardson Dance Studio. Both programs, A and B, had a full hour of performances, with a total of 26 dance pieces.
Program C took place at Richardson Dance Studio to accommodate the students affected by the unilateral ban for alleged participation in the October 7th occupation of Carnegie Hall. Program C acted as a repeat of many pieces, where dancers chose to participate alongside their cast members who were banned from the Pendelton showcase. The time and energy given to each dance were evident within each calculated movement, highlighting how Pomona College’s bans and suspensions interrupted educational liberty and significantly impeded the vibrant exchanges of student passion and work promised at the 5Cs. In a moment where college campuses are witnessing an increase in suppression of student dissent, how might one reckon with the fundamental disconnect between the politics of the institution and their own personal belief system, shaped by the education they receive at these schools? While wordless, these dances capture something frenetic about what it means to hold this kind of contradiction within one’s body.
While the meaning is implicit and varied, the movements of the dancers are blurred between restraint and total abandon, moving from arabesques to sharp, exaggerated movements, tap dancing to tango. Furthermore, the audience is not passive, as specific performances break the fourth wall, asking the viewer to imagine themselves as a part of the showcase. This experimental attitude is brought by each performer who is willing to leave it all on the lacquered studio floors.
More experimental elements begin in Program A with “INT. PENDLETON–EVENING” choreographed by Paris Levin PZ ’25. The program note cites David Lynch’s films as the catalyst for the piece, imitating automated movement. The dancers used this artificial sense of motion to bring both a sense of discomfort and liminality to the forefront. In sharp and invigorating contrast, “mmwhatchasay” is a playful choreography by CJ Abeshaus SC ’25 that was vaguely reminiscent of the Gossip Girl Thanksgiving episode (coincidentally also scored to “Whatcha Say” by Jason Derulo), but instead of exchanging icy stares, each dancer exchanges turns doing the worm. The movement is punctuated by a table, where the dancers sit and talk business while the two dancers act as each other’s mirrors, mimicking exact movement despite being unable to see each other through the table. “Creation//Counter-Creation// Co-Created Realities” begins as a creation myth, with the ensemble of dancers replicating a living, swirling entity, donning red gloves, and promptly fracturing the entity through asymmetrical movement. One portion was staged as though the dancer’s bodies were one, yet the fracture becomes apparent as they move closer together, then farther apart. The ending consisted of the dancers holding up mirrors to the audience, aiming to provide an atmosphere of discomfort yet remind the audience that they are partaking in creation: of narrative and interpretation independent of what the dancers may intend.
The variety and range continued in Program B. Narrative is not central to many dance pieces but communicates a feeling. “How We Hold,” choreographed by Holand Dennis PZ ’25 begins with dancers wringing out their hands, traced
by soft blue light, moving between reconciliation and corporeal anxiety. Holding these two movements together, Dennis’s choreography is deeply in tune with the balance one tries to strike between the head and the heart in everyday life.
In a piece heavily inspired by Argentine Tango, mythology, and the fusion of sound and space, “Entangoment” by Danté Christian PO ’24 contains a spider as the central mythological motif. The spider
played a harp in the center, wrapped in a gossamer, and was released by the surrounding dancers. “I wanted to go back and forth within the choreography where the spider has control of its web, and the web then has control over the spider,” Christian said. Aiming to balance traditional methods of Tango and a contemporary experimental feel, the piece acts as yet another testament to the beauty within opposing forces.
Just before the lights dimmed on the red-carpeted seats of the Pendleton Dance Center, each audience member present for Program B received a slip of paper alongside their programs. The dance collective The Lyphuson asks each audience member to simply draw a path and mark where they stand on their current trajectory. Later, the dancers collected the slips and considered these ambulatory paths in their dance, asking the audience members to call out when a movement on stage felt resonant. Voices echoed, breaking the silence characteristic of a black box theater, and occasionally, moments of synchronicity were shared between audience members when two people called out simultaneously. The rallying cry was a simple ‘here’ to indicate where each person found resonance on the path. Yet, it becomes clear that The Lyphuson imagined a path as less of a physical space that someone is meant to follow but an ever-shifting construction of time and space, one that we are intended to create and imagine simultaneously. Embodying the overall collaborative and in flux spirit of dance, holding contradictions within and outside the body is rendered visible.
Photo courtesy of Jana Gaskin ’25
Photo courtesy of Jana Gaskin ’25
Our Students Deserve Better: How Scripps Fails as a Historically Women's College
By Anna Grez ‘27 Design Editor
To better understand the complexities of whether or not Scripps College lives up to its standing as a Historically Women’s College (HWC), it is first relevant to understand the history of coeducational and women’s higher education in the United States. Some of the first colleges in the United States to admit women were seminaries. The first coeducational college, Oberlin, was founded in 1833. Similar co-educational institutions followed, such as the University of Michigan which began admitting women to save money spent on constructing, operating, and hiring for a separate women’s institution.
In 1836 Wesleyan, the first women’s college, opened its doors. After 100 years of women’s colleges existence, the “Seven Sisters” (Mount Holyoke, Vassar, Wellesley, Smith, Radcliffe, Bryn Mawr and Barnard) were founded as the female counterparts to male-only Ivy league colleges. Oftentimes, colleges would refuse to admit women in fear that men would no longer want to attend. In this way, women’s attendance at these institutions has been historically linked to a perceived lower status. According to Scripps’ website: Diversity is our strength. As the only women’s college in The Claremont Colleges, a co-ed consortium of five prestigious undergraduate institutions, Scripps offers a supportive community of leaders and unique perspectives.
At Scripps, our students thrive in a collaborative environment where their voices are heard and amplified. Our students take ownership of their academic and post-graduate journey.
Studies have shown that students at women’s colleges are more likely to develop the skills needed for their careers, graduate in four years or less, and feel that they’ve made a positive financial investment in their education. By helping students develop their academic and interpersonal abilities, women’s colleges are preparing the next generation of global leaders and scholars to succeed in their chosen fields.”
Scripps does not live up to these standards.
Scripps’ first stated goal is diversity. But what kind of diversity are they referring to? Also found on their website, Scripps claims it, “strives toward an environment in which acknowledging and engaging issues of race, ethnicity, religion, belief, opinion, economic class, age, gender, sexuality, and ableness are inextricably part of the experience of the campus community.”
If we accept this as our definition
of diversity, this is certainly a lofty goal for the institution. The phrase “strive toward” provides a lot of wiggle room for the Scripps to claim they are attempting to embody the ideals they share online, and in their advertising, regardless of their actual actions. It is unclear how the current climate of student policing, fearmongering, and limited community engagement, as seen through the recent policy changes and destruction of community spaces, factors into their attempt to “strive towards” a diverse community.
One Scripps sophomore, who has chosen to remain anonymous, voiced their concern about the school’s recent actions, stating that “[they] expect feminist rhetoric and uplifting minority groups which [they] don’t think Scripps has succeeded in especially in the closing of the Motley and the investment of weapons manufacturers to continue and support the ongoing genocide in Gaza.”
The diversity the school claims is not visible when looking at student demographics either. As a predominantly white institution, Scripps’ student body is 52.4% white. The faculty is similarly made up of 71.5% white professors.
Another value Scripps claims to purport is, “a positive financial investment” in education. While this is subjective, Scripps does happen to be ranked #20 on CBS’s ranking of the 50 most expensive colleges in America. Scripps’ full cost of attendance is $90,886 – $91,886 per year. This adds to a total cost of $363,544 for four years of attendance. Is this a
positive financial investment? While this is an individual decision, this is a significant investment to make, especially at a young age and just before entering a fluctuating workforce.
A common theme among the students I interviewed for this article was a desire for Scripps to be more welcoming to non-binary and trans students. While Scripps’ policy allows trans women to apply, non-binary and gender-nonconforming students are not as protected and accepted under the policy listed on Scripps’ website.
The website currently says that Scripps, “considers applicants who report that the sex currently listed on their birth certificate is female; considers applicants who self-identify as women; awards a degree to any Scripps student who completes the baccalaureate requirements regardless of gender identity or expression; and does not require government issued documentation to verify sex or gender identity.”
Many Scripps students feel that the role of a historically women’s college should be to protect and educate those of marginalized gender identities, including students who do not identify along the lines of the gender binary.
Another student felt that “it can be exclusionary and be intimidating for people who experience any gender dysphoria before or during their enrollment.” An anonymous student added, “I think our understanding of gender has expanded so much since HWCs became a thing and they should evolve to make space for that.”
Another barrier to accessibility for students at Scripps comes with the lack of accessibility to period products.
“I think that period products are super important to have where a majority of students are menstruating students,” Madyson Chung-Lee, SAS Faculty/Staff relations chair, said. “It is not just a question of convenience, it is a question of accessibility, especially since Claremont is a suburb. Most students do not have access to cars, and Scripps does not provide easy access to products except sifting through bathrooms to find period products which are ultimately provided by Advocates and SAS, which is not a burden that they should have to bear”. Seeing as many states now require period products to be provided in public school bathrooms, many feel that Scripps – and other schools – should follow.
So, does Scripps live up to being a historically women’s college? The better question, perhaps, is does Scripps provide for their students. In many ways – diversity, inclusion, accessibility – no.
As an institution committed to “advanc[ing] inclusion, diversity, equity, and access throughout the Scripps community,” Scripps needs to do better. Student initiatives and feedback are well-represented across our campus, and Scripps’ refusal to listen and make change has become increasingly obvious. If Scripps wants to live up to everything they claim, generations of students have already laid the path before them. We deserve better.
Anna Grez ‘27 • The Scripps Voice
We Don’t Operate in a Post-Racial Utopia: A Critique of the Scripps English Major
By Amy Jayasuriya ‘26 and Ishita Jayadev ‘26
Copy Editors
Amidst the constant gossip about the Pomona English department’s “self-destruction” and the increasingly politicized and polarized atmosphere across the institution at large, we decided to take a critical look at our own school’s English department and the structural issues that hinder its ability to provide a welcoming and productive environment for all of its students.
Comprised of seven professors and 12 required classes, the major purports to focus on expanding students’ understanding of literature from different time periods and countries. However, after three years of taking Scripps English classes, instead of being exposed to a diverse range of literature that challenges our mindsets and opinions, we feel that we’ve been repeatedly stuck in a canon that refuses to engage with anything remotely relevant to the broader socio-political atmosphere both on and off campus.
Despite professors halting business as usual in class after the election this year, offering snacks and white women tears instead, there has been no mention of our 15 peers who Pomona College suspended, the countless Scripps students banned from Pomona’s Campus, or even the Motley getting shut down for a month — despite how it is affecting our daily lives.
The problem begins with the major’s distribution requirements. As an English major and Asian American Studies minor, my academic interest lies in ethnic studies literature classes — classes that fulfill none of my major requirements outside of electives.
Instead, English majors are required to take two British and one American literature class on top of the two introductory British and American literature courses. The requirements stipulate that the British literature classes fall before 1800 and after 1800, limiting students to classes that primarily teach white authors and critics due to the popular canon of the time.
Similarly, the one American literature class requirement must be before 1900, which automatically excludes most ethnic studies literature classes as they tend to teach texts written during the 21st century. Constrictive requirements prevent the average English major from venturing outside of the predominantly white canon and exclude students of color from reading and critically analyzing texts written by those marginalized by the white patriarchal canon.
The stipulation of the pre-1900 time
period for the American literature requirement also forces students to take classes that often repeat texts included in the required introductory Readings in American Literature class.
It doesn’t help that our world literature requirement is called “global Anglophone literatures”, excluding translated texts and prioritizing English-speaking populations even as we gain the opportunity to read more global texts. When looking at the other colleges, we found that Pitzer’s requirement is accordingly titled “World Literature,” and Claremont McKenna’s major itself is titled “Literature” instead of “English.” Pomona’s seemingly few requirements simply confused us. This hyperfocus on language may seem trivial, but one thing the English major has taught us is close reading, and there seems to be an odd fetishization of English-speaking populations within the Scripps requirements. Additionally, there is usually only one global Anglophone class offered at Scripps every school year, where most of the class demographic, along with the professor, are white. This semester the global Anglophone class I’m taking was one that I was highly anticipating, as I was excited to read literature that was out of the scope of the ordinarily white American and British authors I had to contend with in earlier semesters. While I did find genuine enjoyment in much of the syllabus, the class atmosphere left something to be desired entirely. Over the course of the semester, it became harder and harder to engage in fruitful conversation with my peers who found it difficult to engage with literature outside of their frame of reference.
Throughout my time in the department, professors constantly told me to speak up more in class; however, the points I do bring up are rarely engaged with by my primarily white peers. I have little motivation to make a point about racial dynamics in books when I know my classmates will swiftly shift focus back to denigrating the portrayal of white women.
To be clear, the dismissive class environment is nothing new. After three years in the English department, I’m sufficiently used to leaving class burned out by another slight microaggression. “Not all colonization is created equal” is a memorable recent one that left me both baffled and fuming.
Last semester, both of us had a literary theory class and an ethnic studies class back to back, leading to some laughable tone switches as we speed walked from a predominantly white class that only got let out fif-
teen minutes early the one day we discussed Edward Said’s theory of “Orientalism” to a class full of South Asians that asserted that the question of Palestine and Orientalism is central to the field of Asian American studies.
It would be comical even to suggest that any English department professors mention Palestine, despite Said being a comparative literature professor.
This problem is compounded by the fact that six out of seven English professors are white, making an already white-dominated major and subject matter much more exclusive for students of color to engage in.
In the past three years we’ve been here, Pomona’s English department has always held at least one ethnic studies English class — something that Scripps has failed to provide regularly.
In the face of all of this, we can’t help but ask, how is the Scripps English department much better than Pomona’s?
To be clear, it’s not that either of us hates English as a subject or even the department itself despite our grievances with it. However, as two students of color who have considered dropping the major multiple times, it’s increasingly vital that we address these structural issues that dissuade Scripps English students from engaging in meaningful and critical discussions about race. The
course requirements and makeup of the professors primarily draw in white students, which further marginalizes students of color within the department and forces them to engage in dismissive discussions in microaggressive environments.
Change is not difficult. We aren’t beholden to a Eurocentric canon that loses relevance, even in academia, every passing year. We can look to other 5C English departments that don’t force students to abide by strict time period requirements, allowing for more flexibility within the major.
We must acknowledge that English has always been a colonial field, from its name to its project, but we can also emphasize how it holds the potential for radical change.
If we abandon literature as a subject, we allow the dominant colonial narrative to remain embedded within its project. However, imagine we create new narratives and new forms of storytelling that highlight marginalized voices and communities rather than suppress them. We have the power to rewrite the narrative and challenge cultural hegemony.
We can’t act like the classroom we operate in is a post-racial utopia when racism dictates our daily lives, from the suspension of mainly students of color at Pomona to the genocide in Palestine. English has always been and will remain a tool for political power. Let’s educate our students to use it as such.
Frances Walton ‘26 • The Scripps Voice
A journalist love letter to the struggle
By Ellen Wang ’25 Editor-in-Chief
Words have always been my choice of weapon; the discursive power of narrative has ignited wars from cubicles and ended them without gunfire. But as journalists, they are also a means of practicing love and care in community.
With administrators framing our own peers as “outside agitators” terrorizing our campuses, and closing The Motley, a student-run community space, under the justification of “intersectional feminism,” language has been both weaponized and hollowed out in favor of enforcing the white supremacist, settler colonial project these colleges are ultimately inextricably bound to.
It almost repulses me to use the term “community” nowadays — to see it everywhere in the school’s disingenuous attempts at marketing an image of camaraderie when students do not feel safe in the place they live and attend classes.
Our journalistic commitment to truth anchors us against passively accepting the dominant narrative. This past year of reporting has pushed
our capacities (and, at times, crossed our boundaries), and I am immensely proud of the ways our staff rose to the occasion to speak truth to power. In many ways, the veil has been lifted on these so-called institutions of higher learning, and we as journalists have the duty to shine light upon the insidious forces behind the blood-slick machine.
Journalism is a labor of love — it has to be, to push through in America’s most hated profession (something I found out in the brief moment I considered a career in journalism in high school before a devastating Google search.) And while the accelerating decline of print
“And the voice, the pen, is far mightier than any sword, any jail, any attempt to silence.”
~Nikki Giovanni
Quote printed in letter to Scripps written in the first issue of TSV, 1991 and in subsequent editions
publications and shuttering of local newspapers and merging of media companies under mass conglomerates do not offer much to love, not to mention the global attacks on journalistic freedom, student journalism continues as an integral force documenting the events impacting youth, by youth.
It means the world to me to have been part of a legacy of Scripps students who took it upon themselves to resist silencing and speak up for themselves and others. I do not take lightly the responsibility involved in being a journalist, especially in times like this.
Working for a newspaper is a truly special way of being in community. Building relationships with people is vital to producing a publication that maintains a finger on the pulse of the audience (and being part of any organization that serves people). At the same time, the work inherently invites deeper presence — keeping an ear on the ground, digging below the surface to follow a lead, constantly learning new things from different people.
It has been the greatest honor to work at The Scripps Voice throughout my time in college.
I am beyond grateful for the brilliant, passionate, incredible people who I have gotten to work with and who have trusted us with their stories of joy, struggle, and everything in between. None of this would be possible without such a collaborative team effort that draws on the wealth of knowledge held by every member of Scripps.
Despite the despair of existing on campus while our school administrators actively harm students, staff, and faculty, I have never experienced such an outpouring of love, including to TSV, to resist these ongoing efforts to divide us. This is your paper; I hope we have done you well.
Stay angry, but also stay gentle. Do not let the oppressive structures succeed in alienating you and robbing you of hope. If we’ve learned anything this year, they are afraid of us. They retaliate and harass us and try to take away things we fought for, to try to keep us from continuing to fight, but we collectively are stronger than them.
We have so much power as students. I know we’ll be okay.
In solidarity and with all the love, Ellen
Ellen Wang ‘25 • The Scripps Voice
“Let’s Work It Out On The Remix”: How to Do a Feature Right
By Juliette Des Rosiers ’26 Editor-in-Chief
As the brat green leaves of brat summer faded to orange and descended into brat fall, Charli XCX gifted fans with the brat remix album, brat and it’s completely different but also still brat . The album was comprised entirely of collaborations, including four previously released singles and 12 new renditions of wellloved brat bangers.
As I packed for my October break trip to Joshua Tree, I connected my phone to my speaker to tune into the remix album. I had waited alongside new and old Charli fans in anticipation as she teased the featured artists via a series of neon green billboards, excited to hear the inclusion of artists such as Robyn, Tinashe, and Caroline Polachek.
Thrilled by the first four tracks, I texted my friends to urge them to queue the album in their road trip playlist. To my dismay, the album fell to mixed reviews. According to my friends, the album sounded like “music at a bad European club.” They felt songs such as “Club classics”, “B2b”, and “Mean girls” lost their sing-ability, leaning too far into the scattered sonics of hyperpop. Though the songs may have lost their commercial appeal and may turn off casual listeners of Charli XCX, I argue that the remix album reinforced Charli’s skill to marry complex emotions with interesting mixes and showcased her musical prowess amid her skyrocketing success.
The remix album is true to its title, as Charli XCX rebranded the songs into “completely different” tracks, both sonically and lyrically, but still are true to their brat identities. An arguable strength of the album is how the aesthetic is revised under the lens of Charli XCX’s redefined fame, and thus, songs are adapted to provide a new view into her evolving mindset.
Almost every song on the remix album is twinged with the complex melancholy of fame and success, with frequent musing on the confusing demands of the music industry. This was teased in the preliminary release of “Girl, so confusing featuring lorde” where Lorde and Charli XCX “worked it out on the remix” and put their tabloid-authored ‘feud’ to rest.
Even more so, tracks such as “Sympathy is a knife featuring ariana grande”, “I might say something stupid featuring the 1975”, and “So I featuring a.g. cook” referenced Charli grappling with her mainstream success. In “Sympathy is a knife”, Charli and Grande described how the trajectory of their public and private lives changed under the limelight. They felt pulled between their old lives before fame and their new, inescapable lives where their “old friends hate [their] new friends” and “they are counting on your mistakes.”
The song transformed from a stressed track about being self-aware of their outsider status into a stressed track about the sacrificial, menacing politics of fame, showcasing how Charli XCX continues to package emotional vulnerability into seemingly enthusiastic beats.
Similarly, “Everything is so romantic featuring caroline polachek” takes a
new angle to a song about finding joy in simple, fleeting moments. Previously, the song carried a warm, reflective quality where Charli’s imagery romanticized the specific but recognizable snippets of a sunny vacation. However, the sonic reliance on minor-chord strings in the remix, as well as Polachek’s quirky verses, restructured the song to include a sadder, nostalgic tone. They now reference mundane but reliable facets of London life that seem to be viewed in the rearview. They chronicle a conversation that notes “all things change in the blink of an eye” and Charli asks Polachek, “living that life is still romantic, right?”, returning to the reimagined theme of remixed brat: Charli’s tandem gratitude and disdain for her fame.
Beyond lyricism, Charli XCX also flexed her production muscles when rebuilding the aesthetics of the remix album. My favorite quality of the
songs was the complete influence of the featured artist. Charli refused to settle for a new verse or bridge with her collaborator but instead changed the composition of the song to integrate their sound equally. For example, “Talk talk featuring troye sivan” was very obviously Troye Sivan-ified, losing some of the original jumpy rhythms for a more grooving chorus. Similarly, “So I featuring the 1975” is reminiscent of the dynamic instrumentals of tracks such as “Please Be Naked,” with muted vocals. Songs such as this and “I think about it all the time featuring bon iver” scrap the majority of the original song in favor of verses primarily performed by the featured artist, harnessing the power of true artistic collaboration. This embrace of divergent sounds is relatively rare and has demonstrated Charli’s genuine enthusiasm to celebrate her collaborator rather than using
the partnership as a performative money grab.
Though songs such as “365 featuring shygirl” and “Mean girls featuring julian casablanca” were revised into mainly instrumental tracks, I believe they exemplify Charli XCX’s uncompromising commitment to making music for herself and her fans, first and foremost. Her exclusion of conventional production sidelines her commercial success to stay true to her hyperpop roots. Although this deterred some fans of brat, longtime fans found familiar callbacks to the layered, engaging mixing Charli has always championed.
The brat remix album was a masterful celebration of musical genres and collaboration, a story of the tribulations of success, and an attempt to remind listeners who Charli XCX is: a hyperpop princess always, a mainstream pop princess only most recently.
Juliette Des Rosiers ’26 • The Scripps Voice
Juliette Des Rosiers ’26 • The Scripps Voice
The Fall Fashion Edit: Bundle-Up and Fall for This Season’s Hottest Looks
By Ellen Chapman '27 Staff Writer
The autumnal equinox brings not only the hope for cooler weather and the dawn of witching season, but also a change in attire. As the temperatures begin to drop, (and jump right back up) and the leaves start changing, the campuses's physical style evolves and embraces autumnal fashion. From runways to the “For You Page,” trends are popping up everywhere, and are on display at the 5Cs.
The days of simple dressing are over, so lay your skinny jeans and Ugg boots to rest and start exploring silhouettes and styles that cross boundaries. The mixing of feminine and masculine pieces result in a look that is both visually interesting and a canvas upon which the wearer can outwardly express their discontent with traditional fashion boundaries. So, I urge you to pair a silk skirt with an oversized graphic tee, tiny tops with baggy jeans, or simply add a bow or sparkle to any and all pieces.
The fun does not, however, end there — it heads south and embraces the Western aesthetic. From cowboy boots to workwearinspired jackets, country is in full force. Adorn your items with fringe, shimmy into those well-worn Levi’s, and throw on a suede vest for the country aesthetic that extends beyond the twangs of its music.
Contrastingly, autumn lends itself to the full embrace of the Ralph Lauren campaign and J. Crew ad, New England fantasies with the adoption of classic looks. Classic, timeless, ’90s — fall’s eternal buzzwords.
But first, we must pay homage to the icons, both of yesterday and today, who gave us what we so dearly call “fall fashion.” This season, Rory Gilmore is once again reclaimed and updated to produce fresher, younger looks. Alongside her, as Vogue suggests, inspiration emerges from the timeless chic of Caroline Bessette-Kennedy. Fashion inspiration, like most new ideas these days, can stem from endless TikTok scrolls embracing the looks of Acquired Style, Matilda Djerf, and the internet institution Emma Chamberlain. It would be
remiss to not pop across the pond and shed light on the British publication Sheerluxe , whose office is straight-up “The Angel Wears Prada.” Inspiration can also be found closer to home in J. Crew’s head of womenswear, Olympia Gayot, a woman whose style can only be described as classically inventive.
Knitwear is, of course, the marker of a transition into the final months of the year. Chunky knit sweaters, preferably boxy-cut, in an array of neutrals and rich jewel tones, unravel across the campuses. The cardigan has taken center stage and been reimagined in a multitude of silhouettes, materials, and colors. From slouchy and loose to fitted, there is a buttoned knit for everyone. The latest — and quite architectural — trend regarding the tried and true cardigan is wearing it with only the top button fastened. This styling creates interest and new shape to a simple look. The Fair Isle knit has been flagged by many fashion experts as the hottest (quite literally) trend. Fall and winter are not seasons known for interesting tops, but think again — for this year designers have spared no expense in creating unique pieces of wearable art. The overarching theme is reenvisioning a simple top to create more interesting shapes and a structured, architectural look. Autumn is seeing an abundance of off-theshoulder, one-shoulder, twisted straps, backless, and others with intriguing drapery. Additionally, the denim button-down and vest have been seen splashed across magazines and trotting around our very own campuses. Lastly, it would be wrong not to address the vast vest-wear seen around school. From tailored suits to fringed or embroidered designs, a vest creates endless opportunities for dressing up a basic cool-weather outfit.
A classic pair of straight-leg jeans, or its younger cousin, the barrel-leg, is quintessentially fall. Long skirts remain a staple of the Scripps uniform with students opting for denim this season. Cowboy couture reigns supreme into the cooler months with denim-on-denim remaining a sophisticated classic.
This look has been reimagined in many ways with button-down Western shirts paired with skirts or monochromatic denim jackets and pants. The darker, richer blue and black washes are hauled out of storage and take their trot around the campuses. Pencil skirts have flooded runways, but the 5Cs are sticking to a more fitted mini or a flowy maxi. Nearly every designer has showcased a leather skirt in every imaginable cut this season, but Claremont has yet latch onto this style.
Footwear quite literally steps up every outfit. When September melts into October and November, the flip-flop is laid to rest and boots become the mainstream. This season, the famous Frye boot — and its dupes — remain in the spotlight shared with cowboy boots in every cut and color. A knee-high or ankle-length is also always appreciated in either leather or the oh-so-autumnal suede. Biker boots have also risen in popularity as the embrace of grunge cements itself as the new look. Adidas in every model and the lesser-known Onitsuka Tigers remain a practical solution for days when ballet flats simply won’t get you where you need to go. The loafer and its younger alter ego, the clog, have popped up this season and are here to stay.
A drop in temperatures doesn’t mean you can simply stay cuddled up on the couch; rather it is a chance to embrace the cold and don your most powerful jacket. The oversized coat is timeless and should be purchased in materials ranging from denim to leather. This season, as suggested by many magazines and fashion insiders, the canvas barn jacket is all the rage. From tan to brown and this season’s favorite, navy, the workwear-inspired coat can be for everyone. Lastly, the trench is the perfect fall cover-up and adds some elegance to every outfit whether cropped or full-length. Accessories make (or break) any look and are therefore an integral building block of any outfit. All over Scripps, scarves are donned from the ultra-impractical, ultra-skinny to the cozy blanket that dares to label itself a scarf. Accessories
need not be overlooked as students continue to embrace chunkier, more absurd jewelry: fish necklaces, spoon earrings, and every charm imaginable dangling off of gold and silver bracelets. Jewelry like this must be featured, so follow the trends and layer that chunky cuff on top of your equally chunky sweater. Or opt for a stacked look with metals mixing and clashing. The baseball cap remains a home run, and in classic colors, it’s never a bad idea. Its edgier alter ego, the trucker hat, featuring a more structured front and flatter brim, adds interest and lends itself to a cool mixing of gendered styles. And most importantly, for any academically inclined fashion girly: a big bag. This season the capaciously large totes are best constructed from a soft suede or traditional leather and are uniquified with the addition of a charm or two.
This is not a season for understatedness, a word central to this season’s “it color”: red. From a wealthy burgundy to a vibrant cherry red, the color has reinvented itself for the masses. From red Sambas to a luxe red, top-buttondone, Sézane cardigan; the color can be interpreted in myriad ways. As always, neutrals are foolproof, and the rich chocolate browns give all the coziness of a pumpkin spice latte. This season, cheetah and leopard prints have emerged from the underbrush and can be seen on a variety of clothing pieces, from mini skirts to Dolce Vita sneakers. It begs you to lean in and embrace your wild side! However, if this is a little too exotic for you, fear not — the tried-and-true stripe is still going strong. Moving into party season sees the widespread embrace of sequins because we all know that a little sparkle never hurt anybody.
Lastly, I strongly urge you all to peruse Pinterest, for the days of uninspired outfits are behind us. So grab your leather jacket, slip on your favorite boots, and throw on a statement jewelry piece, for cold weather is upon us and the outfits must be up to par. Remember, life is a runway, and there is no better place to strut around than the 5Cs on a chilly November day!
And They Were Coworkers: A Memorandum on TSV-cest
By Ellen Wang ’25 and Belén Yudes ’25 Editor-in-Chief and Copy Editor Queerbaiter-in-Chief and Baited Editor
It has recently come to our attention that teamcestuous relationships are occurring within the editorial team at The Scripps Voice. Before this episode of fraternization causes anyone to allege we engage in “hit pieces,” we promise there will be no more hitting that piece.
We, as the sole seniors on editorial, are stunned by this development and saddened by these individuals’ decision to hide the true nature of their relationship from the rest of our staff. We see it as our duty to model how our newsroom operates at its best.
[Disclaimer: We were only informed of this development following an awkward and unfortunate run in the corridor where our new editions are stored. Let’s just say the papers weren’t the only thing hot off the presses that morning.]
The Voice upholds a high standard of professionalism, in line with our mission of catering to the girls and gays empowering marginalized perspectives. As journalists, we take conflicts of interest seriously, especially when power differentials are at play... especially if the power differential becomes a sex thing.
This development has seriously disturbed our team’s workflow
— how is anyone supposed to focus when certain staff members are creating cutouts in Adobe Indesign of certain members? And the tension of editing on the same Google Document just got magnified exponentially. Our cursors are so close…
Due to recent events, we have decided to implement several new policies at TSV to ensure workplace boundaries are respected while still prioritizing freedom of expression. We would never censor our staff — there’s no such thing as “not safe for TSV.” And rest assured that the freedom of [REDACT ED]
To maintain a horizontal organizational structure, every editorial team member is contractually obligated to be a card-holding member of the Official TSV Polycule (Local 91). Union dues simply go toward getting paid and getting laid. Just as before, new members are welcome anytime. We don’t bite… unless you want us to. Hey! What are you looking at? That’s just ink from our print issues.
All members of the TSV Polycule are guaranteed health insurance, oral, travel reimbursement, and a half-motherly, half-flirty “good job” from Ellen per issue (I’m just as confused as you are). If you’ve been really good, you might even get some sustained eye contact between rounds of edits.
It has been disheartening to attend production meetings
while some postmodern, sixthdimension, nonverbal, nonphysical foreplay was taking place without the consent of all parties in the room. We are not good enough at social cues to evaluate whether that “Editor-in-Chief” was said with deferring respect or deferring sexual energy... it’s doing it for me either way. Thus, we want to affirm that, yes, kink belongs in production, and no one finishes until we all collectively finish (sending the issue to print).
We’re happy to report that the staff has taken well so far to the new changes. “Getting frisky with it” is up 4000 percent in the production room, and we’ve learned that a certain someone is really into the newspaper.
Like any other part of Scripps College, TSV is committed to community care. With four years of TSV experience under our belts (literally and figuratively),
we understand that active and enthusiastic communication is key. Navigating polycule relationships is difficult, and we take a card from Scripps administrators’ book when we facilitate restorative dialogue, holding each other accountable and discussing who is not giving what they need to be giving.
The best part of working for a publication is connecting to our audience. You, too, are welcome to feel the thrill of being a reader/consumer/voyeur of our fantastic team bonds as you finger through the newsprint pages.
After the arduous hours of painstaking editing, each issue truly feels like a love child brought forth by our staff. But if anyone asks, just tell them a stork brings each edition of TSV — you’ll have to join the polycule to learn more.
Time is a muscle
By Rebecca Allen ’25 Staff Writer
When the thunder came rolling in, everything I said was wrong.
It was her hair. Her dark hair, the color of a raven’s feathers. It reminded me of my mother’s, or at least the color that came from the box at the hair salon. By the month’s end,
her silver roots would show and it would be time to go back again.
I’d missed you then, your feet twitching on the hospital bed as I spoke, and thought of everything I wouldn’t remember.
Ellen Wang ’25 • The Scripps Voice
By Belén Yudess ’25 and Elita Kutateli ’26
Copy Editor and Head Design Editor
Aries (March 21 – April 19)
Aries, have you been feeling the urge to rage lately?
Whether out of joy, nerves, or feeling gurrr or blah, you should stand on a table in the middle of Seal Court and start a communal raging session to the chatter of Wednesday Tea!
ROARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.
Leo (July 23 – August 22)
Leos, do not let the cold and gray skies tarnish your creativity this winter. Do not succumb to the early sunsets and evade the darkness. Be sure to journal every day, watch movies, listen to albums, and indulge in the fruitful nature of the arts. Write, sketch, film, photograph, sew — keep your mind and your hands busy while your heart rests.
Sagittarius
(November 22 –December 21)
Thesis stressing you out right now dear Sagittarius?! Well, do not fret because when you think about it, thesis can be split into “the sis,” which sounds like The Sister Act which stars Whoopi Goldberg who was also in The Lion King — and like Timba and Pumba said, “Hakuna Matata,” which means no worries! So don’t worry about your thesis and use that problem-free philosophy to get you through this next month!
Taurus (April 20 – May 20)
Oh Taurus, the winter blues might be calling too close to home. Be sure to turn your frown upside down amidst the holiday cheer! If you see children ice skating or a nice family having dinner together, do not hit or yell at them! They will not like that. Seasons change and everything is temporary. Nothing is that deep or personal. Wise up. Grow up.
Virgo
(August 23 –September 22)
Routine is simple, stable, consistent, and incredibly important. Why? Well, Virgo, you need to have a sense of control in all aspects of your life, or at least think you have control — it helps you sleep at night. This month, challenge yourself by grabbing a different breakfast, maybe even at a different time and place! Super crazy. Park your car on a different street and stay up past your bedtime! Live a little Virgo!
Capricorn
(December 22 –January 19)
Gemini
(May 21- June 20)
BE AWARE!
Your craving for a pomegranate may be exceptionally high this month… I mean, you really want those beautiful, shiny, ruby-red, and juicy seeds. They pop in your mouth and are not too sweet, not too sour — perfectly tart. Do not wear white clothing this month. You never know when the opportunity to eat a pomegranate will arise, and when it does… you may succumb to your primitive nature.
Cancer
Tis the Season for Your Ho-HoHoroscope! <aphasia>
Capricorn, the longawaited day for all closeted and out theater kids is upon us: the release of Moana 2 and Wicked! To celebrate this momentous occasion it’s time for you to order a cake plastered with the face of a man who has defied gravity and soared to unexpected heights away in the theatre world skies: Lin Manuel Miranda! He probably has a cameo in Wicked anyway!
Dreaming While Dancing
By Rebecca Allen ’25 Staff Writer
Several rising suns
And a saddle blanket.
A field of mustard blossoms
And blind faith.
Two tabs of acid.
At the park, I inhaled until the grass sang, Until I loved you again. I put a dandelion in my hair
And gave away dollar bills.
In that world of Buddhist smiles and neon clouds, I swam to you, through the smoggy LA air
And I forgave you for not being eternal. In that world, My legs stretched on forever And time lay beside me
And your distance only felt like a small joke.
(June 21 – July 22)
Cancer, please take a hot yoga class this month. In fact, it is not a want, it is a need! The stars are saying all Cancers must take at least one yoga class this month, or else! Your body needs to be in an exceptionally hot and humid room with about twenty other people sweating at the same time. You will feel super zen and super wet. Please sweat it out instead of crying it out — it will be a nice change of pace.
Libra
(September 23 –October 22)
BRB… more like RBB; why be right back when you can read books backward? Do you frequently zone out in the middle of your 300-page reading by an old, white man complaining about odd-shaped buildings (it’s totally about his not-so-secret gay desire)? Do you ever find yourself rereading the same sentence 50+ times? Well, start reading from right to left, or flip the book upside and all will be made clear!
Aquarius
(January 20 –February 18)
Lovely Aquarius, as you head into the holiday season, it’s key to remember one thing above all else: how to keep the spirit of Flexsgiving alive! Do you have $100 of Flex left to blow at the *OPENED* Motley? Well, pay it forward and pay for a stressedout first year’s peppermint mocha!
Scorpio
(October 23 – November 21)
Scorpio, have you been feeling unusually repressed and emotionally stiff lately? Have you been zoning out during dinner, leaving your friends concerned after they repeat the same question over and over again, just to be met with your dead, soulless, and almost sociopathic eyes? If the answer is anything but a hard no — please take yourself to the movie theater and cry or jerk off (or both) to Gladiator II
Pisces
(February 19 – March 20)
Pisces rhymes with mices, and mices want cookies so you should get a cookie too! So next time you’re feeling blue, chomp chomp on a Hoch pumpkin cookie to bring a smile that’s warm and true!
By Angela Zhang ’28 Staff Writer
What you loved was not the sea
It was the feeling
The feeling you’ve had from womb to tomb
Stood in water
tucking your hair behind ears for the thirteenth time
Then I saw your lips quivered, yet did not hear a word
You spoke the language of nothingness
Chocked, deoxygenated, by the grasp of your trachea
Which gives you the feeling you’ve had from womb to tomb
You started your chant
About how you fell to a pool at the year you’re ten
The swallow’s shadow flew through your body
And it had the weight of fourteen souls
You said,
If only,
If only my rib bones could sprout like the spring
Then I could learn how to love
Yet I did not remember who you are
Only the pair of melancholic eyes
That made me burn at night
Like a tarantulas infant joggling over my cornea
Eight legs, and I could feel that pain eight times
The first time was like,
A beetle under my tongue, kept buzzing
That was me, speaking
In the language of nothingness