Volume XXXI Issue Five February 24 2023

Uncompromising commitment to inclusivity and justice.

Academic Services Lacks Staff and Resources to Fully Support Students

By Aviva V. Maxon ’24 Staff Writer

Fromclassrooms to the Motley to the dorms, Scrippsies are sharing their experiences and frustrations with accommodations at Scripps. This ongoing issue that affects many of us does not seem to have an end or a single cause.

Academic Resources and Accessibility Services (ARS) is an office of Scripps College dedicated to accommodations and student academic services. ARS oversees all Scripps tutoring, including individual tutors, Math Spot, and the Writing Center. Nonetheless, most ARS resources and labor hours go to their other responsibility: accommodations.

ARS handles all types of accommodations in and out of classrooms. Housing accommodations, special meal plans, extra time on assessments, and acquiring a note taker are all taken care of by the office. Currently, they serve about 26.5 percent of Scripps students, which has increased from 16 percent in 2019.

To get accommodations from ARS, you need documentation from a medical provider or therapist. This is fairly straightforward for physical disabilities, but students have found acquiring documentation for mental health accommodations or learning disabilities is more challenging.

Grace Lyde ’23 was not able to receive accommodations because they do not have an official diagnosis. Trying to get accommodations during the pandemic, Lyde was not given any options other than getting an official diagnosis in order to receive the services she needed.

She has found that most professors are willing to give them extra time and are generally accommodating. However, getting a diagnosis can be incredibly taxing and expensive. Depending on health insurance, psychological testing can be thousands of dollars out of pocket.

This is prohibitive to many, not to mention the mental effort and distress this type of testing and navigating the healthcare system can have on students. “You need an official diagnosis and you don’t always have access to that,” Lyde said. “Pursuing diagnosis takes years.”

ARS requires documentation that shares what the student’s condition is and the impact on academics, housing, or environment. In addition to this, specification of the needed accommodations must also be submitted.

Danny Hernandez, Dean of ARS, sees the process for receiving accommodations as “simple and straightforward.” Sending documentation to their office is the first step and is followed by an hour-long interview with them so they can fully

IN THIS ISSUE

understand how to support the student. Once these are completed, accommodations are put into place.

While the process is simple, many students have had difficulty scheduling an intake meeting with anyone in the ARS office. At the beginning of the 2022 fall semester, ARS joined the other 5Cs in moving all accommodations to the AIM system. The change was a surprise to students, and many found that the website was difficult to navigate.

“It was only after the first three weeks of school [fall 2022] and a couple emails that I was informed by ARS that AIM was the new system for reporting documents for accommodations,” Rebekah Bodner ’24 said. “Once signing into AIM, I quickly noticed that the program was old and poorly formatted — something that looked and operated like it was out of 2008.”

Hernandez believes that the process is more streamlined through AIM, allowing for ARS to better serve the Scripps community. “We were very much using an antiquated process, meaning that I had to write every single accommodation letter manually, which took me weeks,” he said. “We saw a lot of colleges benefit from that [AIM system], meaning that they had more up to date data,

they were able to track how many accommodations each student receives. It was a fairly efficient and quicker process not only for their staff, but for their students.”

Bodner, a student who was wellestablished with ARS, was prevented from receiving the accommodations she needed for the first month of the semester due to this confusion. Throughout the semester, she has had difficulty receiving adequate services from ARS.

She, like many other students, receives a distraction-free environment for test taking. The first time Bodner utilized this accommodation, ARS proctored the exam in the Dean of Students office, where multiple people were working and going about their daily business. The environment did not meet Bodner’s needs and since then she has relied on the Student Disabilities Resource Center (SDRC) to proctor any tests and exams.

The issues with ARS stem from two main issues: lack of funding and lack of staff. There are only four staff in the office, one of whom is an academic coach. This is fewer staff members than in 2019, while the number of students being served by ARS has nearly doubled since then.

Some students see opportunities

for improvement through collaborative means. “They [ARS] should enlist the help of students with disabilities and faculty with disabilities who have experience in other institutions where that has been successful for them so that they can get ideas and potentially reform the policies they have so that they would better assist the people that they serve,” Bodner said.

While student accounts show how ARS has fallen short for them, there are still arguments to be made in favor of the community they have fostered. “We've cultivated a community where people feel comfortable, and people feel like these services are accessible,” Hernandez said. “I feel like as our numbers increase, it’s a testament to how inclusive we are as a community.”

Ultimately that is what everyone wants: a Scripps where everyone can grow, learn, and thrive at. “Offices like ARS would be more effective and supportive if they hired and welcomed students who used their services as a means of collecting feedback and implementing new policies and features,” Bodner said. “In my experience, this allows students with LDs to share helpful tips, strategies, and resources for navigating academic life at Scripps.”

Celebrating Creativity at the 5C Latinx Student Art Showcase Institution and Injury: Ali Power’s Experience as a Former CC

The Motley has Jopened their doors once more!

Ellen Hu '24 • The Scripps Voice

The She/Her Chronicles: Nina Beats the Nonbinary Allegations

She’s A Runner, She’s A Track Star: Caroline DelVecchio Tramples CMS Records

By Charlotte Blasi ’26 Staff Writer

Caroline DelVecchio ’23 has been running track since she was five years old and has a heap of accomplishments to show for it.

In college alone, she has qualified for Nationals in 2022 and placed sixth in the nation for the 400 meter hurdles race, making her an AllAmerican. In addition to this, she won the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in 2022, where she broke the CMS 400 meter hurdles record.

“The first time I broke it I barely broke it by a hair, so I didn’t really feel like it counted,” said DelVecchio. “Since then, I’ve been chipping away at it slowly. We’ll see if it sticks.”

DelVecchio continued her winning streak at the CMS Outdoor Indoor Distances Meet, where she placed first in the 60 meter hurdles and second in the long jump. She also recently attended the Whitworth Invitational where she competed in a heptathlon (five events) and placed seventh.

Track runs in DelVeccio’s family. Her parents met at a track race in college and have since passed on their love for the sport to their whole family. DelVecchio reported that her dad held the high jump record at his college with a height of 6’10” and that her mom was a talented runner in college as well.

After inspiring DelVecchio to start track, her parents played an active role in her track career. They were her coaches for most of her life, beginning with the youth track league that she joined at five years old and coaching her through high school. “I

probably look up to my parents the most just because they’re the ones that instilled the love for track in me,” said DelVecchio.

In addition to her parents, DelVecchio is also in awe of her little brother, Ellis DelVecchio CMC ’26, a fellow CMS track athlete. “I’m impressed by him,” said DelVecchio. “I definitely admire how hard he pushes himself and it has definitely inspired me to

run harder.”

While DelVecchio has been called the “Swiss Army knife of the track team” by her coach, she enjoys hurdle races the most. She began hurdling around age 11, teaching herself from YouTube, which she acknowledges may not have been the most effective method. She attributes her improvement in the event to her CMS coach, Glenn Stewart, who helped

her refine her technique.

She also enjoys the 4x400 meters, a relay race that is typically the last event of the day. “Everyone is just screaming at you and the energy is so high,” said DelVecchio. “You actually feel like you’re a superhuman.”

Beyond the pure love for the sport, DelVecchio keeps running because she loves the track community at CMS. She described her team as a “strong, supportive net” and feels like she has really found her people. “If I wasn’t on the track team, I definitely would not have as wide of a circle of friends as I do,” said DelVecchio.

Some of DelVecchio’s favorite memories include when athletes are the only students on campus, for instance when they return early from breaks. “There’s just a different energy to it,” said DelVecchio. “You just get so close to everybody.”

She loves how invested the whole team is in each other’s success, regardless of how well they know each other. “It feels so nice to put so much effort into something and have people recognize that and support you and push you,” said DelVecchio.

While she occasionally feels overworked because she is a versatile athlete who competes in multiple events, she has no complaints overall. “I get exercise, I hang out with my friends, I do something I love – I don’t really have many issues with it,” said DelVecchio.

Post graduation, DelVecchio is confident that running is in her future. At a minimum, she hopes to participate in a marathon. DelVecchio encourages those interested to try out for track to join the incredible community and develop their own passion for the sport.

Celebrating Creativity at the 5C Latinx Student Art Showcase

By Lindsay Ravetz ’25 Staff Writer

On Feb. 16, Café Con Leche and Pitzer Latinx Student Union presented the 5C Latinx Student Art Showcase at the Benton Museum of Art. Live music drifted through the museum’s open glass doors, merging with the soundtrack of “oohs” and “ahhs” inspired by the artwork within the gallery space. Viewers roamed around the colorful tables lining the room’s perimeter. They engaged with the artists and browsed art to purchase, including earrings crafted from stained glass, digitally designed prints of abstract faces, and zines depicting a collection of Latinx Rock and Roll artists.

“The museum doesn't have to be a white cube, it can be something more,” said Corina Silverstein ’25. “It has made me feel a lot of pride… not just in my own identity but also in my own friends here who share similar identities, that we can come together and create something beautiful."

Silverstein nurtured their vision

of the 5C Latinx Student Art Showcase until it was finally brought to life. In collaboration with Café Con Leche and Pitzer Latinx Student Union, Silverstein transformed the “white cube” into a space to celebrate Latinx creatives sharing a wide spectrum of art.

Other vendors and artists shared Silverstein’s sentiment, feeling gratified for the sense of kinship that the event brought them. “I feel like it’s been a while since we’ve been able to have convivencia [being in community] again and I feel like this is it, finally,” Alexa PZ ’23, a student creative selling Valentine’s Day inspired prints at the showcase, said.

The warm, welcoming atmosphere permeated each aspect of the exhibit. Silverstein aimed to foster a space where community members “feel a sense of family… like a backyard party.” They aimed to focus on sharing the joy of the Latinx experience.

Silverstein’s own artistic talent was on display at the showcase as well. Their digital photographs

were presented alongside film photographs by Maralina Caldas ’25. The pair hosted a Latinx Heritage Month Photoshoot where students were encouraged to wear cultural pride.

Silverstein reflected on the process of taking these photos with the backdrop of the Spanish hacienda-style arches and mural in the Margaret Fowler Garden. “Everyone kind of had this love, hate, complicated relationship with [the garden],” said Silverstein. “But they were very happy to see that they could be in front of it and the focus was on them.” Silverstein was especially intrigued by the strong, beautiful stories associated with the clothing people chose to wear.

In the middle of the evening, the slideshow of photos paused to show Queerinidad, a short film by Osbaldo Ozuna CMC ’24 and Sofia Marquez Gomez PZ ’25. Silence fell over the room as viewers gathered around the screen.

The film focused on the stories of two students sharing their relationships with queerness and Lati-

nidad. In this moving film, students expressed the challenges of rejecting heteronormativity in Latinx culture and embracing their queer identities with their families.

Expanding the meaning of Latinidad was a focus for other student creatives, like Alé Rodriguez PZ ’24. Rodriguez encourages “really questioning what Latinidad means” and asking, “how can artistry get us to more truer definitions of what Latinidad is?”

After showing Queerinidad, viewers continued to enjoy the showcase’s art, empanadas, and uplifting atmosphere. The event provided an opportunity to share, appreciate, and engage with the creativity of the 5C Latinx community.

“This event is nothing without continually supporting — not just the arts — but supporting Latinx folks, supporting BIPOC folks, supporting queer BIPOC folks,” Silverstein said. “So I hope that this event reminds people that this work is not just worth it, but is thriving and needs to be supported.”

Ellen Hu ‘24 • The Scripps Voice

Institution and Injury: Ali Power’s Experience as a Former CC

By Ellen Hu ’24 Editor-in-Chief

After tearing her ACL during a rugby event, Ali Power ’25 did not expect that her position as the Community Coordinator (CC) of Dorsey would be on the line. Yet, this soon became a reality over winter break.

On Jan. 10, Power received an email from Dean Carmen Brown, head of Campus Life and Power’s Primary Contact Dean, encouraging her to take a leave of absence due to the time that she would be away from campus for recovery following necessary surgery. Alongside this message, Dean Brown informed Power that her CC role would have to be re-evaluated for the spring semester.

The conditions for this situation were laid out in a follow-up email sent on the same day by Power’s supervisor Winnie Bee. “Unfortunately, should you be out for six weeks, you will be unable to fulfill your role as a CC,” Bee wrote. “What that means is that you would not receive $3,000 room credit for spring 2023 and you would not participate in spring training this week. However, you would be able to stay in your room in Dorsey.”

Power, a New Hampshire native, had planned to fly back to California two days after receiving the email. In a Zoom call with Bee to discuss the situation, she was given 48 hours to make a final decision: either put off her surgery or take a leave of absence. If she decided to take a leave of absence, she would have to find a last-minute way to move out of her room.

The decision to take a leave of absence was difficult for Power. Having already taken a semester off in 2021 due to the pandemic, she did not want to have to put her graduation off by a year. Nonetheless, staying on-campus without her CC role was not an option due to financial difficulties. Similarly, the option to have a parent fly out and help her move, as Bee encouraged, was not possible.

“It’s just very upsetting for her to be saying these things without having a hold on the situation,” Power said. “In my head I know it isn’t an option for me.”

Power officially submitted to her employers that she would be taking a leave of absence on Jan. 11. By Jan. 20, she had moved out of her room. On Jan. 12, a different CC was asked to move into Power’s old room.

Power’s injury was sustained in late October while competing in a casual rugby tournament in Irvine. She was originally diagnosed with a dislocated kneecap at a local urgent care, but over the next few days her knee began to swell to sizes she had never seen before. She continued physical therapy with the hopes that her injury would heal within a month.

“The first two weeks were like hell because Scripps is the least accessible campus possible,” Power said. “It took me four days to get accommodations which was ridiculous because I could not walk and had a class at South Pomona. I couldn’t do anything.”

During this time, Power was continuing her work as a CC. Students

who serve this role are required to put on one dorm event each month in addition to volunteering to run three Office of Student Engagement (OSE) events and two OSE Wednesday tablings during the course of the semester.

To account for her injury, Power was able to trade her OSE events with co-workers so that she would have more time to recover. Communication between Power and Bee was also frequent. “I felt like she was pretty understanding and really saw me going through it, which is one of the reasons I was so mad about the way that she handled the situation,” Power said. “She saw how hard it was for me in the fall.”

When Power returned back to New Hampshire during winter break, she was able to get another MRI of her knee, diagnosing her with a torn ACL and torn meniscus on Dec. 30. Recovery would require reconstructive surgery and a six week resting period where she would not be able to physically live on campus.

Initially, Power had assumed she would be able to enroll in the spring 2023 semester while participating virtually for the weeks she would be away from campus. The majority of her professors had agreed to let her Zoom in, and she believed it would be possible to carry out her CC duties while only missing one event.

With her job being one of the last things on her mind, the emails received from both Dean Brown and Bee were shocking. Power’s bags were already packed to return to campus, but she felt like she had no option other than to take a break from school for the semester.

“I can tell through the tone of the email that there’s no negotiating within this,” Power said. “It seems they have made this decision on their own, and there’s no conversation that’s like, ‘Okay are there other options? Are there other ways to go about this?’ It’s like, if you choose to get this surgery, you’re not going to have this job.”

How this was done troubled Power even further because of her prior understanding regarding employment by the office. “We were always told if you’re involved in something that could end up with you getting fired…

they would have a conversation with you regarding your employment first and then more on from there,” she said. “I don’t think any of us realized that ResLife could just straight up say, ”You are unable to do this job, we are taking it away from you.”

In the fall semester, Power greatly enjoyed her time as a CC. Originally inspired by her sister, a Scripps alumni who graduated in 2021, Power wanted to be someone who could create spaces for people to interact and get to know the people she was living with. “Freshman year was a little crazy, and I just wanted to do more and see what capacity Scripps had the ability to do things,” she said.

Following her decision to take a leave of absence, Power communicated that she would be stepping away from her role to her co-workers who had already returned to campus for their training. Bee also spoke about this during training, but based on what her coworkers later told her, Power was upset by the way information was presented.

“I felt like she had forced my hand to make this decision that I didn’t necessarily want to make and then was making it seem like to my co-workers, ‘Ali is doing this out of her best interest, for the sake of her health…’,” Power said.

Meanwhile, Power began communicating with the Office of Residential Life regarding her move-out process. While she initially believed that she would have until Jan. 23 to move out, she was soon informed that she would instead have 48 hours to move out before the previously provided deadline.

“I don’t know how, physically, I’m expected to do this,” Power said. After requesting an additional extension for this period, she was informed that the standard move-out procedure for students taking a leave of absence is a four hour period without ID card activation. She would also not be allowed to sleep in her room during this period.

“To me, that sounds like someone who is being kicked out of college, not someone who is just taking a leave and is likely to come back as a Scripps student,” Power said. “‘It is just mind boggling to me.”

Throughout the process, Power felt like her requests were not being heard. “It’s hard because I know Winnie personally — she’s my boss,” Power said. “I know the people that work in the ResLife office because they’re also my bosses. They know me as an individual, as a person, as a student. And I just felt like ‘no one is listening, I’m yelling into an empty room.’”

When Power eventually arrived on campus to move out during the first week of classes, challenges arose while attempting to get into her dorm. During that week, several Scripps students were facing issues with the use of their ID cards. In addition to these random shut-offs, her ID was officially shut off the night before it was supposed to.

“It was so frustrating,” Power said. “I’m literally sitting around just waiting for people to get in so that I am able to get the last of my stuff out.”

This, in addition to the fact that she lived on the second floor of Dorsey, made the process more challenging. Still walking with a torn ACL, she was eventually able to pack and move out of her room within the 48 hours given with the assistance of the rugby team. Power had no direct conversation with Bee while on campus.

“I was feeling so done with them,” Power said. “I felt like even if I had asked for help there was nothing they were going to do for me because it just felt like they really did not care what was going on in my situation, they just wanted to make sure that I was out of my room so that they could put someone else in there.”

Following a six-day car ride back to New Hampshire, Power was able to receive her surgery and is currently in recovery. Reflecting on this experience has changed her perception of the Office of Residential Life, and not in a good light.

“It really just felt like a business — that’s how they were viewing me and the other CCs,” Power said. “As their employee I don’t know what I was expecting, but it was not just feeling like I was just being dismissed by them and so disposable… It just left things on a really sour note.”

Ellen Hu ‘24 · The Scripps Voice

Breakfast & Blowouts: A Deep Dive Into the Lost Traditions of Scripps Residential Life

By Maeve Sanford-Kelly ’26 and Clare Reimers-Hejnal ’26

Staff Writers

Cross-campus dining, innertube water polo, and dwelling over what to wear to Monte Carlo all sound like pieces of a 21st-century Scripps College experience. A long way from the pomp and circumstance of early Scripps, these moments are modern experiences that Scripps students hold dear. But exactly how modern?

Split between traditions from Scripps’ founding and the culture of Scripps today, the Scripps experience of the 1980s and 1990s just might have had the best of both worlds.

When one comes to Scripps, they often hear a lot about the Scripps from the 1920s and 30s with its beautiful buildings and ahead-of-itstime dedication to educating women. But what about the Scrippsies of our parents’ era? Split between traditions from Scripps’ founding and the culture of Scripps today, the Scripps experience of the 1980s and 1990s just might have had the best of both worlds.

Unlike today, where a Scripps student may live in a different dorm every year they are at Scripps, students often lived in the same dorm all four years. Residential organizations like Hall Council, a group of five elected officials to govern their respective quarters, created a strong sense of community within each dorm.

Nurturing this sense of community even further, each Scripps dorm had its own dining hall until 2000. During this time, students often ate their meals with the residents of their dorm.

Denison Library Librarian Jennifer Martinez Wormser ’95 remembered

making friends in the dorm dining hall.

“Especially at breakfast, everyone kind of wandered downstairs in their jammies and got food together,” Wormser said. “So you got to know the people in your dorm really well.”

Each dorm had unique culture and traditions including special events. Clark, then known as Grace Hall, hosted an annual Medieval Holiday Ball for residents where everyone dressed up in medieval gowns and costumes for a grand feast. Beth Rhodehamel ’89 served as the Residential Coordinator for Clark in the late 80s and remembered the costumes and decadence surrounding the annual ball.

“[My senior year, I] dressed up in a Lord of the Manor costume that had been used for decades…and got to pick who my Lady of the Manor was, and she wore equally decorative and historical robes,” Thodehamel recalled. “The Scripps staff dressed up to present the feast on platters as it was paraded in.”

Another Clark tradition was holding the Spring Fling to celebrate the return of warm weather in early spring. “We all went out into one of the courtyards [at Clark] and we had champagne at like 10 in the morning,” Deidre Hughes ’87 said. “We had our breakfast out there. We all brought our chairs and just hung out…and we danced!”

Separate from their individual traditions, dorms would often host parties related to their identity (similar to Harvey Mudd College dorms today).

Some of these parties included “Browning Blowout” or “Graceland”. Students from all 5Cs were invited to join.

As a Hall Council Leader for Browning in the early 90s, Wormser had a hand in planning the annual Browning Blowout, which was always a big fundraiser for

the dorm because they charged a fee for attendance. “That money went for events or things that you were doing, but it also paid for the alcohol at the next party,” Wormser said.

“We all brought our chairs [to the Clark courtyard for Spring Fling] and just hung out…and we danced!”

- Deidre Hughes ’87

Scripps students didn’t just party on campus. On Wednesday nights, many of them would go to fraternity parties at Pomona (yes, Pomona had frats!) and mixers between different schools were also very common. One popular party theme was “Screw-Your-Roommate” where students would pair their friends up with people from another school (often Claremont McKenna) for a blind date.

While some party themes, like Monte Carlo, have stayed the same over the years, others like “Pimps and Whores Night” (hosted by CMC in the 80s) have gone by the wasteside.

Just as cross-campus party culture was alive and well, so were crosscampus stereotypes. Pitzer students were often eager to help lead a protest against apartheid in South Africa while many CMC men were bound for careers in finance.

However, some of the stereotypes came with an added tinge of sexism. “Scrippsie,” now a favorite way for Scripps students to define themselves, was seen as derogatory back then.

“[Being called Scrippsies] insinuated that we were lesser in intellectual abilities,” Rhodehamel said. “It went hand in hand with being teased for being there to get our ‘Mrs. Degree.’ It was usually used by insecure types and usually was squelched when they realized we were their classmates and surpassing them academically.”

Throughout the 80s and early 90s,

parties at Scripps and across the 5Cs often had an abundance of freeflowing alcohol with little regulation from administration. “I can’t really think of [parties] that didn’t involve alcohol,” Hughes said. “Alcohol was freely available…It was considered private property.”

“[The term Scrippsies] was usually used by insecure types and usually was squelched when they realized we were their classmates and surpassing them academically.”

- Beth Rhodehamel ’89

After a few incidents regarding alcohol in the early-90s, Scripps administration began to crack down on underrage drinking. This included requirements that parties be registered with Campus Safety and that all alcohol be served by certified bartenders only to those of legal drinking age.

“I think once they clamped down with security and bartenders and stuff, that all got much more expensive,” Wormser said. “Maybe that contributed to the demise of the [dorm party culture at Scripps].”

In the years after the new party regulations, Scripps opened Malott Commons as a unified dining hall and Hall Council stopped being a part of student government. These factors may have contributed to the evolution of dorm culture at Scripps and are a part of why many Scripps students today find community outside of their dorm.

Just as with anything else, there are some parts of Scripps that have stayed the same over time and others that have changed dramatically. But perhaps we can learn a thing or two from the traditions and community that the Scripps alumni from the 80s and 90s hold dear.

Ellen Hu ‘24 • The Scripps Voice

The Motley Has Jopened Their Doors Once More

By Belen Yudess ’25 Social Media Manager

All decked up in their most dazzling denim, the Motley team hosted their jeans-themed spring reopening. Cleverly called the Jopening, the event happened on Feb. 10.

Jopening, which hosted a line out the door throughout the 7-10 p.m. event, included several special features and exciting surprises. The Motley served six exclusive Jopening drinks: The Apple Bottom Jeans, UR Cute Jeans, Daisy Dukes, Jatcha Cha Cha, Boots with the Fur, and Joffee. The event also featured the Tea Room Band who played live music for the gathered crowd that used Seal Court as a makeshift dance floor.

There were a lot of festive decorations inside the coffeehouse, including a pair of jeans open for student signatures, as well as an outdoor student art market which featured stunning pieces from student artists around the 5Cs. Some of the work included crochet designs, screenprints, tote bags, and handmade items.

“Everyone [on the Motley team] seems really eager to be in this space. There’s definitely a sense of comradery. Everyone is really upbeat and there’s always a conversation going.”

“We have a retreat before each semester and [facilities manager] Liz Messinger ’23 had a list of 40 different themes that were just like most absurd stuff,” said current CoHead Manager Rachel Corbett ’24. “One of them was Jopening and we were all like, that is so corny. Then the next day we came back and were like, ‘It’s kind of a funny idea.’”

Once establishing Jopening as the theme, the team was able to plan the night’s spunky menu, which also allowed them to launch new syrup and pastry options. “The opening menu was mostly Nayla [Dayal ’25], our community engagement manager’s, idea,” said Corbett. “She did a lot of the work for Jopening — she’s a star.”

Corbett attributes what she calls “funky fun products” to product managers Chelsea McCord ’24 and Angie Rivera ’24. New additions to the Motley include blueberry, blackberry, and butterscotch syrups. Additionally, the pastries being sold are from Homeboy Industries.

Corbett was ultimately excited about the overall positive energy surrounding the event.

“Even though it was so chaotic and busy, it was in the best way,” she said. “The reason we’re doing all this work is because people are so excited to be here.”

While she appreciated the students who came into the Motley for Jopening, seeing the hard work of her co-workers brought Corbett a lot of joy. “To know the work they [Motley staff] have put in is also being validated or rewarded was super sweet,” she said.

Following the success of Jopening, the Motley has no intention of slowing down and are currently planning events for the remainder of the semester. They plan to host a variety of monthly events. “We’re lucky to have a place on campus for students to congregate outside of OSE and all those other departments on campus,” Corbett said.

“The team is very collaborative, so no one is off making decisions on behalf of anyone else. Everyone on the manager team and all of the baristas work very hard and really care, they build a community with one another.”

- Corbett

The Motley reopened in April of 2022, its first time since the start of the pandemic. This was no easy feat due to strict COVID-19 policies, a shortage of staff and supplies, as well as many other challenges that arose throughout the year. The 2021-22 Motley team, led by Maddie Moore ’22 and Camila Mejia ’22, persevered and successfully served the Scripps community for the remainder of the spring semester.

This year’s Motley team, like their predecessors, is keeping the enthusiasm and spirit of the cafe

alive and thriving. “I would say everyone [on the Motley team] seems really eager to be in this space,” Corbett said. “There’s definitely a sense of comradery. Everyone is really upbeat and there’s always a conversation going.”

“Try the new products, and please give us as much feedback as you can,” Corbett said. “Keep coming back if you like coffee, and even if you don’t!”

- Corbett

Corbett, who was the Facilities Manager last year, was promoted to Co-Head Manager with Briana Prieto ’23 due to their prior experiences on the managerial team. Although Corbett was nervous about the change, she noted that the team’s excitement this past semester has allowed her to develop a greater appreciation for the Motley team.

“The team is very collaborative, so no one is off making decisions on behalf of anyone else,” Corbett said. “Everyone on the manager team and all of the baristas work very hard and really care, they build a community with one another.”

As this semester goes on, the Motley is preparing to open applications for the fall semester.

“Thank you to everyone for taking time out of your day to come hang out at the Motley. This place wouldn’t be so fun and relaxing without the people in it [...] thanks to all the artists who display their art here, I think that’s very quickly becoming a vital part of the Motley.”

- Corbett

“I would like to say thank you to everyone for taking time out of your day to come hang out at the Motley,” Corbett said. “This place wouldn’t be so fun and relaxing without the people in it. Just thanks to all the artists who display their art here, I think that’s very quickly becoming a vital part of the Motley, which is awesome.”

Moving forward, the team hopes to continue meeting the needs of the student population. “Try the new products, and please give us as much feedback as you can,” Corbett said. “Keep coming back if you like coffee, and even if you don’t!”

The Motley is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Courtesy of Motley Managerial Team

- Co-Head Manager Rachel Corbett ’24

Corbett encouraged people to apply, and to be on the lookout for barista applications which will be released in the fall.

Salmon Wrapped in Seaweed: A 5C Food Review

By Julia Abate ’24 Staff Writer

McConnell looks like an office building from the outside. But some of the best meals on campus are prepared in this inconspicuous location. McConnell is strongest at dinner. On Thursdays, students fill plates with caesar salad, poke bowls, steak, creamy tomato shrimp pasta, and jackfruit pot roast.

The build-your-own poke bowl bar is in the global station. I choose to build my own burrushi. A burrishi is a poke bowl wrapped up into a sushi burrito. I watch the server press white rice into a sheet atop a large seaweed wrap. He presses the rice with the caution I reserve for treating stained clothes. It’s important that excessive OxiClean doesn’t leave its own watermark.

My burrushi is filled with poke salmon, smashed avocado, sliced cucumbers, red onions, and diced mango. The server drizzles the flat sheet of poke with ponzu sauce and spicy mayo. The burrushi is rolled up and cut in half. There are two big pieces of sushi on my plate. The burrushi is cute. I get the feeling that I would have been friends with the salmon that is now squeezed in between rice and seaweed. I think I would have known a fish who was reliably fun with a healthy ego if we had met underwater.

I savor the optic pink salmon and melon-hued cucumbers and emerald strings of seaweed salad. The first bite of the burrushi ends with a satisfying rip in the seaweed

wrapper. The seaweed wrapper is more of a textural element than a flavor. I taste it toward the end of every bite and it cleanses my palate.

The salmon tastes clean. The rest of the flavors join in to compliment the deceased. The layers of salmon almost bruise the way a flower petal on the sidewalk might. It tastes clear, vegetal and slightly floral. Creamy richness is deep in the bottom of every bite. It’s fun to encounter long pieces of bright green seaweed tangled together in a citrine sauce. The subtle crunch of the seaweed is followed by a comforting sweetness. The crunch of the cucumber is bolder and cool. This introduces a lightness to the fish and the seaweed. Small tastes of sharp and refreshing mango ask me to slow down.

It’s been a while since I looked down at an empty plate and paid attention to the sensations from the meal wearing off of me. Seeing the flakes of seaweed scattered across the white ceramic dish reminded me of pieces of confetti on the floor the morning after a party. I can still taste the sticky rice melting in my mouth. I’m sad that the meal is over. When I decided that I was going to go to McConnell on assignment, I planned on fixing a couple of meals and not finishing any of them. This changed with one bite of the terrific burrushi.

I get a caesar salad. After all, it’s Thursday and the first night of the weekend permits an indulgent meal. I move through the make-your-own station and

grab everything: iceberg lettuce, croutons, cheese, and dressing. I pour caesar dressing over the lettuce bed with a soup ladle. The chicken is chopped for easy fixing in two metal trays next to the caesar salad station. One tray has chopped breaded chicken and the other tray has chopped breaded vegan chicken. My salad included a mix of all available elements, including both meats. Comparing chicken to vegan chicken is a fun experiment to run.

After a couple of bites, the vegan chicken suggests a flavor of feet that overpowers the flavors of the salad. The other elements of the salad were excellent. The chopped iceberg lettuce is cool and looks translucent as the light green leaves bleed out their color at the edges, almost like sea glass. The creamy dressing is a

satisfying heavy contrast to the light, crunchy lettuce underneath. The croutons – toasty and chewy and smothered with a warm garlic butter – taste decadent.

I finish off my meal with banana cake and chocolate cake on a small plate. My dance teacher told us to eat bananas over the weekend at the end of class an hour ago. The chocolate cake is a small square classic version, moist and dark, and the frosting had a fudgy texture. The banana cake is a bit dry and dense but the banana flavor is nice, if slightly elusive. The cream cheese frosting, which is marbled with chocolate, is a little heavy but satisfying. The chocolate cake is the better dessert. I savor mouthfuls of chocolate frosting before the weekend officially arrives.

“The Last of Us” is an Infectiously Impressive Adaptation

By Olive Gaetz ‘25 Staff Writer

Adaptations and remakes have been all the rage in Hollywood over the past few years, occasionally bringing new life to beloved stories but more often killing nostalgia stone-dead. Now every movie musical has a James Corden cameo and CGI has replaced classic cinema magic. No one is scrambling to Netflix to watch a half-assed new season of Gilmore Girls

They simply lack the enthrallment of the originals, relying on new technology and modern buzzwords to keep their audience mildly amused. Who would have guessed that a video game adaptation could completely bypass the usual disappointments we have come to expect?

The Last of Us is a third person shooter game that came out in 2013, followed by its equally-beloved sequel in 2020. The game follows Joel, a stoic middle-aged father, as he traverses a zombie-infected apocalyptic United States in search of a mysterious organization called The Fireflies. He’s tasked with safely delivering spunky 14-yearold Ellie, who carries a burden that

could determine the fate of the entire human race.

Alongside incredible graphics, music, and a very novel take on the classic zombie trope, The Last of Us has remained incredibly popular mainly due to the heartfelt relationship between Joel and Ellie. In addition, this game has challenged the usual lack of queer representation and unsexualized female characters in video games, making gaming a more approachable hobby for communities that are often left out of this type of media.

In spite of the disappointment audiences expected to face, The Last of Us has come out guns blazing from the very first episode, pleasing both original and new fans alike. The purpose of a series adaptation is to bring new elements to the original piece and introduce a wider audience to the story, especially when people may not have access to the original game.

That being said, there’s also the balance of trying to adapt an entire game to a shorter format without short-changing original fans. Though there certainly have been changes, such as adjusting

the time period from 2033 to 2023 and eliminating spores as a potential threat of infection, for the most part the TV show remains very loyal to the original game. Some fans have even created show-togame comparisons revealing nearly shot-by-shot remakes of some of the most beloved cutscenes.

The show also manages to replicate the greenish-gray color scheme and apocalyptic design of the game, upholding the nostalgia for original fans while still bringing the world to life in a new way. Even the “clickers,” the infected mushroom-like zombies that now roam the Earth, are somehow even more disturbing than in the game, a commendable achievement on the creators’ part.

One major point of contention over the new TV show, however, is the casting. As usual, countless social media users have been quick to complain about Bella Ramsey’s role as Ellie, mainly on account of her not looking exactly like the character.

Trying to find an identical actress to a videogame character who also suits the age range and talent required for the role is not only unnecessary, but also borderline

impossible. Straight from the first episode, it’s clear that this Ellie has the same fighting spirit, wit, and courage as the original Ellie. Ramsey’s own touch gives the character a new dimension.

Even better, they casted a queer actor to play Ellie which is often a factor discounted in Hollywood. In doing so, they’ve upheld Ellie’s identity as a queer character. All-inall, Ramsey has done an incredible job so far and seems to have great father-daughter chemistry with Pedro Pascal, who plays Joel. It will be exciting to see what else they bring to their roles as the season progresses, especially as their characters’ relationship unfolds.

As a big The Last of Us fan, I’m excited to say there’s truly nothing I would change about the TV show so far. It stays true to the original source material, is absolutely breathtaking to see on-screen, and also is approachable enough for new fans to dive right in without any previous knowledge of the videogame. Though it remains to be seen if they can keep this up through the first season, so far The Last of Us is one of the best on-screen adaptations ever made.

Isabel Suh ‘24 • The Scripps Voice

March Horoscopes: Indulge in Your Element!

By Izzy Silva ’24 Horoscope Columnist

Aries

Mar 21 - Apr 19

As a fire sign, I suggest indulging in some scented candles. Perhaps, attend a candle making class! But — your wallet will be in flames too if you buy too many candles! Proceed with caution.

Taurus

Apr 20 - May 20

You need to reconnect with the Earth. I suggest going to the beach soon… and making a little sand castle for the crabs. They will thank you later.

Gemini

May 21 - Jun 20

As an air sign, you might feel drawn to the sky. The next time you see a bird, stare at it. The secrets of the universe will be revealed if you do this.

Cancer

Jun 21 - Jul 22

Libra

Sept 23- Oct 22

Capricorn

Dec 22- Jan 19

As a water sign, you are heavy on your emotions. You may not have anywhere to let it out. I suggest going to a place that sells fish. Tell the fish your problems. They won’t know you’re crying, they will think you’re trying to be underwater too!

Leo

Jul 23 - Aug 22

You are a fire sign and you may feel that you need to keep your dorm very very warm. Turn off the heater and just use a blanket or two. This will save not only the Earth, but also your warm-running roommates.

Virgo

Aug 23- Sept 22

You might feel inclined to dig holes as an Earth sign. Go dig a hole and plant a little flower somewhere. This will be a ladybug’s new home!

As an air sign you might really feel an inkling to fly. While plane tickets are expensive, there are other options. Get yourself an umbrella and hop off a little sidewalk. You may float for 0.5 seconds, but this will be enough!

Scorpio

Oct 23- Nov 21

No one quite understands why you are a water sign. To prove yourself, go to the nearest body of water, tell the body of water that you appreciate it, take a picture of yourself next to it, and send it to someone you love with the caption, “I love water!”

Sagittarius

Nov 22- Dec 21

Listen here fire sign, you may feel like you have been needing lots of caffeine to fire you. No more caffeine. Fire up the stove and brew yourself a nice cup of herbal tea. Oooo, maybe the sleepytime tea with the little bear guy on it!

The next time you have the opportunity to go to Mount Baldy, go. It will refresh your Earth sign qualities. You can do some ghost hunting too, but beware — the ghosts love making fun of Capricorns.

Aquarius

Jan 20- Feb 18

The next time you have the opportunity to go to Mount Baldy, go. It will refresh your Earth sign qualities. You can do some ghost hunting too, but beware — the ghosts love making fun of Capricorns.

Pisces

Feb 19- Mar 20

You are very true to your water sign identity. The next time you see a fountain — make a wish! And also put a little leaf in it. It’ll float and be so cute and you will be so happy.

By Aviva Maxon ‘24 Staff Writer

sunlight And

The

Chipped nails, full of earth and work

A bright color to feminize you

In your heavy pants and shirt- that hide your body

Hair pulled back and up

So maybe they won’t know, about the breasts and vulva that lie below.

The shocked look, at the door –

An old man surprised to see a young lady at his door, Tools in hand, gloves in pocket, ready to work.

The signs say, men at work

The She/Her Chronicles: Nina Beats the Nonbinary Allegations

By Nina Howe-Goldstein ’25 SAS Party Czar

Atthe Core 3 Tea in December (for which I had been volun-told to represent my class), a well-known Scripps administrator stopped by my table.

“I had heard about this,” she told the colleague. “It’s about helicopters, mostly, but it’s also about the post9/11 militarization of D.C. and the absence of self-governance. Shewait, ‘they?’ ‘She?’ They? They? She?”

When she turned to address me, the entire train of thought seemed at risk of being disrupted by a desire to get my pronouns right.

“Just ‘she,’” I responded pleasantly.

“Right. She — oh, but I forgot what I was talking about. Point is, it’s interesting.”

The “Nonbinarification of Nina Howe-Goldstein” is something I’ve struggled mightily against for years. Ever since I set foot onto Scripps campus, I’ve suffered the indignations of being misgendered straight into a liberal arts college stereotype while clinging tightly to the one thing I know for sure: I am a cisgendered woman, in spite of all purported evidence to the contrary.

At face value, the problem is that I’m bald. In ninth grade, never having learned to take care of my curl pattern, I simply shaved it all off. I liked the new cut tremendously; I thought it made my features look nicer, and I no longer had to contend with hair care. But little did I know that 13-year-old Nina was actually buzzing herself right into a gender crisis. I am bald, and I am Whiter than mayonnaise, and I have large glasses and wear quirky earrings. It turns out that at Scripps, merely waking up in the morning when you look like that is akin to coming out.

Should I list all my other pseudononbinary traits? I have two pairs of Lucy & Yak dungarees. I listen to Sammy Rae and the Friends. I own a lot of houseplants. If I define myself entirely by my consumptive practices, I am the platonic ideal of androgyny. When Intro Chemistry students try to synthesize a “They/ Them” in a lab, they get a 100% yield.

It’s impressive how often, as a cis woman, I still end up being misgendered. Preteen incels on TikTok will comment that I’ll “never be a she-her,” trying mightily to do a dumb transphobia on someone to whom it doesn’t apply. And perhaps most amazingly, this provokes overwhelming levels of anxiety in my extended family, because ever since my brother came out, they’ve been working very hard on the whole “pronouns” thing — nice on principle, but now that we have the same haircut, they eye me nervously and ask my mother in whispers if I’ve changed my name.

But this demands that we ask: what about the actual they/thems of Scripps College? I have a handful of doppelgangers wandering around campus — all of us pale, buzzed, and glasses-wearing, and of whom I dress the most femme… but all use

“she/her” — which suggests that the stereotype is missing the actual nonbinary people it aims to identify.

I can’t help but suspect that this vision of androgyny is tied up in (what we might uncharitably call) the many “quirky White girl” aesthetics. I went to Pinterest on a whim, searched “nonbinary,” and was presented with rows of skinny, largely White models in dark academia fashion interspersed with the expected 2014-era-Tumblrpurple-and-yellow ephemera. If that won’t do, I can scroll a little further and see Jonathan Van Ness in the most appalling floral prints known to humankind — but there our variety ends. The increasingly-mainstream vision of nonbinary people imagines me, with my Doc Martens and lipstick and button-ups, but never seems to find someone outside that narrow range of identity and ~vibe~.

While I was out with a friend a few weeks ago, we discussed this issue. She was persistent in her belief that I must somehow be at least a LITTLE nonbinary, while I remained resolute.

“There’s gotta be a ‘they’ in there somewhere,” she teased.

Another example: an incident in which I accidentally they/ them’d someone who uses she/

her pronouns, and was promptly corrected by an onlooker. I’ll call him my “Anonymous Transgender Friend” (or “ATF,” an acronym with no other connotations whatsoever).

“I get sort of defensive about it — since women of color can be viewed as more masculine than they are. Or, like, more feminine too, I guess,” said the ATF nervously.

“Women of color, particularly Black women, often have to deal with the fetishization of their femininity and simultaneous unwanted masculinization,” I said. “Tracy McMillan Cottom has some good writing on the subject.”

“Yeah.”

“Were you in Waco, Texas in 1993?” I asked.

Devoted followers of this column may be wondering how, in the spirit of tradition, I’ll manage to drag longsuffering philosopher Olúfẹmi O. Táíwò into my bullshit this time. Don’t EVEN worry — a shamelessly flippant browse through Elite Capture provides all the answers.

The term “identity politics” was first popularized by the work of the Black feminist Combahee River Collective, who identified the need for a coalition-based approach that would allow Black women to “set their

own political agendas” — not, as the term would later become notorious for, the creation of a supposed moral aristocracy through marginalized identities. The bastardization of the term, Táíwò eloquently argues, comes about when the elite — corporations and the powerful — take the latter definition and use it for their own interests, instead of collective uplift.

My going theory is that the presented vision of nonbinary-ness, embodied in — of all people — me has come about largely through a benign, boring attempt to corporatize and distill androgyny into something easy to understand and market towards.

If I am nonbinary, then surely I am a marketable demographic who wants quirky vases, nonbinary-flag-themed socks, and the six-pack of haterade I buy weekly with my fake ID. I refuse to blame some corporate or transphobic conspiracy, so much as I apply Occam’s Razor in believing we all take the easy road when it comes to understanding the unfamiliar. Even the most well-meaning (my relatives; liberal arts college administrators) can fall victim.

Keep up the good work, Scripps.

Aanji Sin ‘24 • The Scripps Voice