A LETTER FROM LORI BETTISON-VARGA

To the Scripps College Community:
I took the opportunity to listen and speak at the February 27th BeHeard Forum held at SCORE.
Some students do not agree with the decision I made regarding the LASPA Center director search. As the College president I must and do live with that, and I believe questioning about this search decision provides a learning moment for students about the College’s decision-making process. At the same time, I believe that members of the community who speak out against college decisions are impassioned, care deeply about Scripps and are working to make Scripps a better community.
I bring diversity of thought, background and experience to my decision-making process.  My senior team and I are committed to making this community a more diverse and inclusive environment.  We welcome input and feedback, especially when it is offered in a respectful spirit of collaboration and investment in the good of the College, and when it is based on accurately informed positions.
My commitment is, and always has been, to listen to and understand student, faculty, staff, and alumnae perspectives. There may be times when your input influences a presidential decision in the direction you desire. There may be times when your ideas alter or reverse a college decision. And there certainly will be times when even the most heartfelt and accurately informed opinions will not change a decision that falls in my purview to make.  
I believe that the SAS BeHeard Forum reflects a hallmark of what the Scripps College community is—a community. This College unites us as individuals and groups. We all have chosen the same place to invest ourselves and to pursue academic, professional, and personal goals and dreams, and that truly does link and unite us. The kinds of issues raised at the BeHeard Forum exemplify that our community works, because whether or not we agree on all issues, we come together to learn, share, understand, and listen.
I look forward to continuing positive and productive conversations in which all of us can join together to advance our collective fulfillment of the College’s mission.

Sincerely,
Lori Bettison-Varga

WHY I WANT MORE FOR SCRIPPS COLLEGE

By Meghan Gallagher '15
Guest Contributor

I love this school. I am grateful everyday that I am privileged enough to live here and to learn here. I am continually inspired by incredible Scripps women who challenge my beliefs and broaden my horizons. Scripps has undoubtedly shaped my identity (both in and out of the classroom) and for that I will be forever thankful.
When I heard news of The Campaign for Scripps College and how it boldly states that “We Want More,” I was ecstatic. I do want more for Scripps, and that’s not something I am ashamed of. Ambition is not a bad thing. Progress is not a bad thing. All too often women and girls are conditioned to self-sacrifice and put aside their own needs for the needs of others. We are taught that part of being “good” and gracious means accepting what we are given and being satisfied, settling for what other people are willing to give instead of fighting for what we want. This campaign slogan is bold and maybe a little bit obnoxious, but clearly we need a push. For those feeling guilty about the college’s request for progress, I ask if the same kind of backlash would be occurring at a coed school? To me, this discomfort surrounding ambition is a distinctly gendered phenomenon and one that students should be questioning. Wanting more opportunity, justice, innovation, and knowledge for my school and myself does not mean that I care any less about global literacy or accurate representation for Native Americans. In fact, I would argue that my Scripps education makes me distinctly more qualified to tackle these issues.
I am a firm believer that you can’t help anybody until you first help yourself. I plan on doing incredible things with my life. I plan on changing the world and I believe I can make a difference. I also believe that this change needs to start at home, where we are socialized and educated. We need to combat this notion that as women of a women’s institution, we must settle for less than our male-dominated counterparts. What kind of world would we live in if no one demanded justice? Or if no one fought for opportunity and knowledge? We can’t just hide in our courtyard gardens lamenting the state of the world, we need to actively and aggressively combat injustice, and I think that starts with the radical notion of wanting (and asking for) more. So I ask my fellow Scripps students to question why they feel so uneasy and outraged by this new campaign and to challenge patriarchal ideas about what we as women do and do not deserve. I think that we deserve progress, and I am not afraid to ask for it.

AN OPEN LETTER TO SCRIPPS COLLEGE'S RESLIFE OFFICES

 

By Anna Marburger, Guest Contributor

An open letter to:

Samuel Haynes, Acting Dean of Students

Victoria Verlezza, Hall Director/SCORE Program Coordinator

Jill Langan, Hall Director

Kim Hamon, Hall Director

[note: this was drafted several days before Thursday, the day of the event.  Thus, the event is referenced in future tense and there are allusions to new posters that I had thought were going to be mounted, but the good will I express towards changing the method of publicity is still the same.]

            This letter is in response to an e-mail sent to Frankel residents this past Monday, copied below.  Just as this e-mail may be triggering, so too is the letter I have written:

“Trigger warning: Please note that this email contains information regarding sexual assault.



Dear Scripps Residents,

We hope this email finds you well. It has come to our attention that recent advertisements for events and passive programming pertaining to sexual assault, utilizing the words rape, sexual assault, etc., have been defaced in order to prevent triggering others. While we are sensitive to and respect the needs of our students, we want to make sure we are upholding and abiding by Scripps College's posting policies. Advertisements serve as a space to educate students on various issues and campus climate. We strive to be conscientious of our postings on campus.

If you are feeling particularly triggered by any passive education, flyer, or poster, or find the language used in said advertising offensive, we encourage you to reach out to the fmi contact, required at the bottom of each advertisement. In addition, the Residential Life staff is committed to supporting all students, and would be happy to speak with you regarding any issues you may be personally experiencing.

Lastly, we will continue to uphold and enforce the posting policies, as outlined in the Guide to Student Life (p. 45, Section 4.02), particularly the defacement of approved advertisements, posters, and educational flyers. Any and all postings must be stamped with approval by a representative of Residential Life or SARLO to be displayed within the residence hall communities.

Please feel free to contact your Hall Director or Resident Advisor with any questions or concerns.”

            I am so grateful that ResLife takes an interest in spreading awareness of sexual assault.  I support the “It Was Rape” documentary screening event.  I was also immensely relieved that the initial promotional posters were removed.  Additionally, I usually respect Scripps’ various policies.  I write this letter, however, to register my dismay and strong disagreement with the notions underlying March 3’s e-mail, which clearly prioritized that policy and that method of promoting the event over the interests of survivors of sexual assault.  I also want to be clear:  I am one of the students who placed the “trigger warning” sign on the poster.  I believe this was the right course of action in what I perceived as an exigent need, not something to await the delay of extended debate and discussion.

The poster this letter discusses is the one that displayed “IT WAS RAPE” in enormous letters, to the point where that sentence alone was extremely difficult to miss when one rounded the corner in Frankel/Routt.  Any context that could explain that “It Was Rape” is the title of a documentary was, in all likelihood, noticed (if at all) after the passersby saw the gigantic “IT WAS RAPE.”  Therefore, this poster posed an immediate threat to the mental and emotional well-being of any Frankel/Routt hall residents or passersby who have experienced sexual assault (and any residents of any other residence halls those big posters appeared in who are also survivors).  For that reason, immediately placing a “trigger warning” sign directly over the words “IT WAS RAPE” (and no other portion of the poster), was justified.  In this very unusual instance, Scripps’ policy would have caused harm instead of good.

Of course ResLife cares about students.  But I want to explain my motivations for making the “trigger warning” signs very clear, so this is a very long letter.  I apologize for any language that appears condescending—I am trying to explain each and every reason behind my actions, as well as my objections to the March 3 e-mail.

When triggered, survivors may exhibit any number of symptoms.  They might experience a panic attack.  They might hyperventilate and experience feelings of unbearable anxiety.   Confusion and/or disassociation are also common symptoms.   Flashbacks can occur.  “Many survivors re-experience the sexual abuse as if it were occurring at that moment, usually accompanied by visual images of the abuse” states the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN).   Being triggered is part of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.  Survivors are six times more likely to suffer from PTSD.  Some symptoms might not be visible to other people, or perhaps they can appear later that day, long after the trigger was spotted.  Other times, the survivor shows immediate and visible signs of distress.  Regardless of what you as a casual observer might see, the survivor has been placed in a nightmare. 

A lot of survivors might have seemingly innocuous triggers that people can’t easily predict or control, like the image of a sports car or the smell of Lysol.  “IT WAS RAPE” was no subtle, hard-to-predict trigger.  Some obvious triggers are depictions/details of an assault.  “IT WAS RAPE” is not one of those.  Other obvious triggers, however, can also be other statements/words that might predictably compel a survivor to immediately and directly think about what happened to them.  The word “rape” alone can be a very triggering word.  “It was rape,” even without giant, capital letters, is a risky sentence.  It is not a calming, neutral statement.  It was especially jarring that “IT WAS RAPE” was very eye-catching, one of the first things seen before the context on the poster explaining the event on campus.  Therefore, this poster had a very high probability of triggering a survivor.  For that reason, once those posters were put up, protecting survivors was reasonable if not mandatory, so long as it showed no disrespect to the ResLife event itself.

According to RAINN, “1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime.”  One in 33 men has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in his lifetime.  RAINN does not have any statistics for non-binary people, but obviously the occurrence of attempted or completed sexual assault is probably high for them.  RAINN also has an entire section of their website dedicated to sexual assault on college campuses.  Sexual assaults are more likely to occur there over the course of one’s college career, particularly if one is a woman.  People of various genders live at Scripps, but most of them are women.  Therefore, it is very probable that multiple survivors live in Frankel or Routt and were at risk of witnessing the “IT WAS RAPE” posters and being reminded of one of the worst, most traumatic events to ever happen to them.  Every minute that sign was up without a warning, mental and emotional calm was seriously at stake.

Among the passages in the March 3 e-mail to which I object: “If you are feeling particularly triggered by any passive education, flyer, or poster, […] we encourage you to reach out to the fmi contact, required at the bottom of each advertisement.”  First of all, “IT WAS RAPE” is not a passive statement at all.  It is in-your-face provocative. 

Secondly, if a survivor of sexual assault has been triggered by an obviously inflammatory statement blasted at them in the place where they live? That is too late.  Inviting the survivor to reach out to the FMI contact hardly solves the problem.  The problem, which was easy to predict, has already occurred in that case.

Instead, ResLife should take reasonable preventative measures.  This concern over predicting triggers is very different from ResLife mounting a poster that says, for example, “FREE COOKIES.” That would not be an obvious trigger at all.  The statement “IT WAS RAPE” should not have been there in the first place.  ResLife should always consider any easily predictable psychological responses survivors might have to posters beforeResLife decides to mount them in public. 

ResLife should not wait for someone to suffer an episode.  Accordingly, any immediate response from fellow students to protect survivors from re-living trauma, such as taping signs that say “trigger warning” directly over “IT WAS RAPE” (not the other words on the poster) was the safer option.  In fact, this was a far safer idea than, as the March 3 e-mail suggests, waiting for a survivor to report their feelings to ResLife. 

In spite of ResLife’s attempts to appear available and open for such communication, it is extremely difficult for survivors of sexual assault to find the courage to tell themselves or loved ones, let alone a well-meaning stranger about such a traumatic event.  The e-mail also says students who are offended should speak to ResLife.  Being offended is not the same as recognizing a very obvious trigger.

Never mind if a survivor feels “particularly triggered,” as the e-mail says; if a current Frankel/Routt feels triggered at all in the place where they live because a poster has an obvious trigger, that poster should be immediately removed or altered.  In this extreme case, it is not ideal to wait to talk to a hall director or the acting dean of students about the poster.  This is not about disagreement with a poster’s content.  This is about protecting people from the clear, immediate, present danger of re-experiencing trauma.  It is statistically likely that multiple people live in these residence halls.  They deserve to feel calm and safe.

As hall directors, as Scripps staff, and as compassionate human beings, of course ResLife cares about the mental and emotional well-being of Scripps residents.  ResLife is right to host events that promote awareness of sexual assault.  I ardently applaud these efforts.  However, their methods of promoting this event were dangerous and showed no regard for obvious triggers to survivors.  “IT WAS RAPE” in giant letters hypocritically sacrificed survivors’ interests in the hopes of publicizing an event about sexual assault awareness.  ResLife was right to take the posters down and apologize. 

However, the March 3 e-mail has bewildering priorities.  “It has come to our attention that recent advertisements for events and passive programming pertaining to sexual assault, utilizing the words rape, sexual assault, etc., have been defaced in order to prevent triggering others.  While we are sensitive to and respect the needs of our students, we want to make sure we are upholding and abiding by Scripps College's posting policies.”  I disagree.  This “IT WAS RAPE” situation, this specific situation, was more important than Scripps policy.  This was about preventing the very likely chance of a human being from a harmful psychological episode.  ResLife should have made a better effort to be “sensitive to and respect the needs” of Scripps students.  In most other instances, ResLife would be right to invoke Scripps policy concerning promotional material, and I would support them.  Students should abide by Section 4.02 in most other circumstances.  This “IT WAS RAPE” situation is the exception.  Preventing obvious triggers and thereby protecting the mental and emotional health of Scripps students should be top priority at all times, not policy (even though 4.02 is an otherwise reasonable and just policy, I think).  Placing a “trigger warning” sign over “IT WAS RAPE” was not defacement.  It was the right thing to do.

Furthermore, the method used in Frankel/Routt to label the event poster was a respectful one.  The “trigger warning” sign functioned like a giant post-it note, basically, with the top of the two 8x11-inch papers secured with painter’s tape, and the bottoms of these papers left uninhibited.  Gravity made this “trigger warning” sign function like a curtain.  In this way, survivors were warned of the risk and protected from it, but anyone could gently peek underneath the “trigger warning” sign to read the words “IT WAS RAPE.”  This did not censor the event.  This did not say anything critical or obscene about the event.  This did not cover the other information about the event, which was not likely to be triggering and therefore probably harmless.  If the “trigger warning” sign had been placed above the poster instead of over the letters, it would have been basically useless.The most eye-catching part of the big poster would still have been the very harmful “IT WAS RAPE.”  The placement of the “trigger warning” sign was a necessary and simple solution to the problem, other than the obvious option of making a safer promotional poster altogether.

Clearly, ResLife had very good intentions and wanted to make an informative poster, especially since “It Was Rape” is the name of the documentary.  I know new promotional materials will be mounted soon, and I look forward to seeing them, but in retrospect, alternatives were possible.  The following do not use the phrase “IT WAS RAPE” in huge, hard-to-miss letters, but instead either avoid them, use a trigger warning, or provide some context first:
 

{C}·      FREE SCREENING W/ SNACKS:
A sexual assault awareness documentary called “It was Rape” this Thursday, March 6 at 7:30 p.m. in Humanities.  Eight women tell their personal stories.  The film might be triggering to survivors or their friends.  A Monsour counselor will lead a discussion afterwards.

 

[sometimes, using the phrase “sexual assault” is preferable because it tends to be way less triggering than “RAPE” or “IT WAS RAPE”]

 

{C}·      THURSDAY: ENJOY A MOVIE AND DISCUSSION

Hear the stories, not just the statistics, behind sexual assault.  Jennifer Baumgardner gives eight women the opportunity to share their experiences in this emotional piece.  Afterwards, there will be a discussion about the silence in our society concerning this issue, led by a Monsour counselor.  7:30 p.m., Humanities Auditorium.

{C}·      END THE SILENCE

TW: sexual assault.  We’ll be showing “It Was Rape,” a documentary telling the stories of survivors. This powerful film brings to light the fact that sexual assault is too common.  There will be snacks and a discussion afterwards.  7:30 p.m., Humanities.  This will be a safe space.

The reason I list these, again, is to remind that there were alternatives to promote this event.  I look forward to seeing the new posters.  I hope this event is hugely successful and I thank ResLife for trying to spread awareness of sexual assault and end the denial in our society.  This issue is very important.  The March 3 e-mail, however, wrongfully drew upon an otherwise sound policy and, in so doing, trivialized survivors’ responses to obvious triggers, as well as responses in the interest of survivor’s immediate well-being.

“We strive to be conscientious of our postings on campus,” states the e-mail.  ResLife should understand what is at stake when a giant poster that says “IT WAS RAPE” in huge, hard-to-miss letters is posted in a living space likely occupied by multiple survivors of sexual assault.  Students, such as myself, who responded by placing “trigger warning” signs over the trigger felt this action was, in this very specific instance, more important than policy.  This e-mail instead denounced this conscientious gesture, which was made out of compassion and respect.

Warmly,

Anna Marburger

AN OPEN LETTER TO LORI BETTISON-VARGA AND THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Dear President Lori Bettison-Varga and the Scripps Board of Trustees,


As members of the Scripps College community, we hold a deep love for our college, the ideals it stands for, and its future potential. Among those ideals is diversity. When we came to Scripps, we were told that, here, we didn’t have to choose between our myriad interests in the arts, sciences, social activism, business, law, technology, or public service. We felt encouraged, then, when the mission statement of the LASPA Center for Leadership reflected values Scripps purports to uphold by emphasizing a wide range of opportunities in a multitude of sectors. The rejection of Margaret Okazawa-Rey symbolized a rejection of a vision of diversity and inclusivity for both the LASPA Center and Scripps College as an institution.
We believe that LASPA can serve the breadth of interests, talents, and voices of Scripps students. Students are interested in business, STEM, community engagement, yet no resources in these fields are available on our campus. The LASPA Center must provide the resources, opportunities, and real-world connections for students to develop 21st century leadership across these fields in order to give back to our communities and the College. As a diverse group of CLORG members and student leaders, we know it is essential that the values of LASPA are centered around the needs of underrepresented groups. An institution that enables the most marginalized members of its community to thrive will inevitably benefit all of its constituents.
Establishing a unique identity for Scripps is essential to the growth of our college, and the LASPA center provides a crucial opportunity to do just that. Though we look to the models set forth by the other Claremont Colleges—Claremont McKenna’s Kravis Leadership Center that fuels the spirit of entrepreneurship at CMC or Pomona’s Draper Center that develops community partnerships—we are not the other Claremont Colleges. Scripps has the essential values to encompass all interests, and the LASPA Center need not marginalize some in order to advance others. Instead, we envision an interdisciplinary center that upholds Scripps’ value of diversity and inclusivity by reflecting students’ many interests. Building interdisciplinary leadership in the 21st century requires embracing social responsibility, consciousness, and ethics—qualities that mark Scripps students as exemplary leaders.
These values are imperative and must be explicitly integrated into the mission of the LASPA Center. In order to create not only a more inclusive LASPA Center but also a future for Scripps with more justice, knowledge, and truth, we believe the following demands are non-negotiable:


1) The values of diversity and inclusivity should be at the Center’s core. This means that the needs and voices of under-represented and marginalized groups will inform all aspects of the center’s work, which will then serve as an organizational model both nationally and internationally.
The LASPA Founding Director must have a vision that compasses our institution’s commitment to diversity. This vision must be achieved in collaboration with students, faculty and staff.
2) The mission of the Center must include a definitive statement that bans the training of leaders who perpetuate systems of exploitation in all sectors (the corporate world, government, civil society).
A student vetoing system should be implemented to ensure a system of checks and balances in the event that the Director or any LASPA staff member pursues a collaboration with an organization that violates this stance against exploitation.
3) The LASPA Center must work to enhance, rather than detract energy and resources away from, the pre-existing work of CP&R, SCORE, or Off-Campus Study.
4) The LASPA Center must work to create leaders in all fields who are socially conscious, responsible, and accountable to the diverse experience of the Scripps community.
This includes better support within the center for students in all fields, including art, science, NGOs, government, entrepreneurship, social activism, technology, law, and public service. We stress the importance of not segregating these fields, but instead incorporating interdisciplinary methods of bridging their differences.
5) The numbers of faculty, staff, students, alumni, Board of Trustee members, and other constituents who voted for each of the final Director candidates must be published in Scripps Voice or in the Student Union.
6) The foci expressed in the Center’s acronym must be defined. The College should collaborate with faculty to define “analysis” and “scholarship” and with SCORE to define “public service” and “action” in order to build on work already in process, thus allowing the LASPA Center to smoothly transition into the campus climate. These outcomes should be published in Scripps Voice or in the Student Union.
7) Hire a Program Coordinator at SCORE that has all of their FTEs at SCORE and is limited to sitting on no more than two committees. We demand that funds for this new position be allotted from the We Want More campaign.
8) Raise the wage for maintenance and housekeeping workers and all workers not currently earning a living wage. We demand that the colleges do not hire temporary workers, and do not engage in the practice of scheduling a 28-hour work week when there is a minimum number of 30 hours to receive benefits, as Pitzer has done.
9) Increase resources for Black, Latina, Native American, Trans* and Disabled Scripps students by increasing the number of Scripps staff who have knowledge of working in these marginalized communities and increasing financial resources.
10) Strengthen Scripps’s commitment to women by strengthening the Feminist, Gender, Sexuality Studies Department. Increase the budget of the department and open 2 new positions up in addition to the one that Professor Chris Guzaitis quit.

The signed organizations below endorse the demands proposed in this letter. A detailed response to each of the demands including how the President will achieve each demand is required in print by March 10th, 2014.

Sincerely:
Asian American Student Union

Asian American Sponsor Program

Café Con Leche

Classy

Disability, Illness, and Difference Alliance

Family

Indigenous Students Alliance

The Editors-in-Chief of The Scripps Voice [Megan Petersen & Aidan Harley]

Wanawake Weusi

AN OPEN LETTER FROM THE SCRIPPS COALITION AGAINST MORE

To the Scripps College community:
On February 16, a group of concerned students representing multiple CLORGs on campus came together to form the Scripps Coalition Against More in reaction to President Lori Bettison-Varga’s decision to re-start the search for the LASPA Founding Director. The LASPA Center is the priority project in the We Want More campaign, and LBV’s rejection of Margaret Okazawa-Rey was a rejection not only of an outstanding candidate for Founding Director, but of the values of social justice and community voice that Dr. Okazawa-Rey embodied in her work. The decision discarded months of work by students, faculty, staff, and alumae who overwhelmingly advocated for her inauguration, in effect silencing the Scripps community that the LASPA Center and the We Want More campaign is supposed to serve. As students at Scripps, we are taught to think critically. Thus, we are forced to question who this campaign is truly serving, and what kind of vision LBV and the administration have for both the LASPA Center and the future of Scripps College. Signed, The Scripps Coalition Against More FMI, or to voice your concerns: and
whowantsmore2014.tumblr.com

A CALL TO THE SCRIPPS COLLEGE COMMUNITY

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse, and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality.”-Desmond Tutu


If you have read the open letter penned by Scripps students to President Lori Bettison-Varga and The Scripps Board of Trustees, either by email or in this issue, you will see both of our names signed at the bottom. This is because we stand in solidarity with marginalized communities on this campus who are fighting for their voices to be heard ­— we refuse to be a part of the various mechanisms on the Scripps College campus that silence them. If these communities speak out, we must sit down and listen. Neutrality and objectivity are neoliberal fantasies. By insisting that people and entities on this campus and beyond remain “neutral,” one insists that they do nothing to challenge systems of domination and subordination, and therefore participate in the subordination of marginalized groups. We refuse to commit violence against these communities.

We call on the students at Scripps to utilize their Core education to its fullest extent; understand and recognize the ways in which groups have been and continue to be exploited, subordinated, and have violence committed against them. Understand that it is important to conceptualize what domination and subordination looks like, and recognize that the mainstream liberal community at Scripps is not “beyond” or “above” being oppressive. We do not learn about historic forms of oppression because they no longer exist – we learn about them to understand how they are rearticulated into a contemporary context.

We call on Scripps students to step back and recognize the ways in which they are complicit in the perpetuation of domination, because these communities tell us we are. Get out of your comfort zone. Educate yourself. Passivity and neutrality are not options.

-Aidan Harley and Megan Petersen, Editors-in-Chief

Comment

AN OPEN LETTER TO THE SCRIPPS COLLEGE STUDENTS, FACULTY, STAFF, AND ADMINISTRATION

You may be wondering why we decided to have a storyless front page for this issue to protest student censorship. You may think it’s dramatic, ridiculous, even unnecessary. And, trust us, we try to strike frivolity from this newspaper anytime we see it. By making our front page blank, by demonstrating against silencing of student voices here and everywhere, we are protesting not just against the disposal of our newspapers on Friday but against a number of policies and occurrences this year that have directly targeted and silenced Scripps students.

We are protesting the silencing of student opinions with the restarting of the LASPA Center hiring process without consulting or notifying students. We are protesting the blatant disregard of student opinions with the selection of the 2014 commencement speaker without the approval of the student committee tasked with making this decision. We are protesting the college’s neglect of the fight that students are waging against classism and imperialism by the classist and imperialist over- and undertones of Scripps’ new campaign. We are protesting the indifference towards the voices of students, faculty, alumnae, and parents and the lack of respect for students’ visions for their own lives with last fall’s speedy passing of difficult barriers for students who wish to self-design their majors. 

We are protesting the notion that there is one kind of leadership, one good way of expressing our thoughts, and that all Scripps students are of one mind. We are standing in solidarity with students protesting the lack of a Native American Studies program at the colleges, the lack of representation of and support for students of color at Scripps, and the lack of serious discussions of class on campus. We are protesting these things in earnest, and we are demanding that we be heard.

As is often the case when a person’s rights are being denied, it is not useful to dwell on the intentions of the person who is denying that right, who is refusing to listen to those voices. The point is, after all, that someone knows they are silenced, and by concerning ourselves with the intentions of those in power, we are further ignoring and further silencing those whose voices are already being smothered. We therefore turn our attention away from those who intentions are already well known, and we focus on student voices in this issue.

As a student publication, we often have to disclaim that the views expressed in The Scripps Voice do not necessarily reflect the views of Scripps College, or even of those of us on the editorial staff. However, in this issue, we would like to boldly assert that the views expressed in these pages do represent Scripps College—because without its students, this college would have no voices at all.

We blame no single person or entity for the transgressions laid out here; when a community fails its members, we are all at fault. That means, however, that we must work as a community to address these problems and prevent them from returning to our campus. As we demand that we be heard, we also urge our classmates to continue speaking out in their loudest voices, and we charge our administration not merely to hear us, but to match our words with the force of action consistent with them.

 

Sincerely,

Megan Petersen ’15 and Aidan Harley ‘16

Comment

CLASSISM MATTERS--HELP CREATE THE STUDENT ADVOCACY GROUP ADDRESSING IT

Felicia Agrelius '17
Guest Contributor

College is supposed to be the great equalizer for lifting high-achieving students out of poverty and into the world of the upper class. Once we’re here on our generous financial aid (that everyone should be so jealous of…don’t you wish your parents couldn’t pay for their children’s education, too?) classism is presented as a problem that should no longer apply to us.

But that only works if you really believe that the green grass (unsustainable?), charming (appropriative?) architecture, cleaned-daily (by whom?) residence halls, and instantly available food actually create an oasis where we could all be free of the oppression and marginalization that exists “outside of the Claremont Bubble.”


Scripps students read about oppression and analyze how it impacts the world outside of Claremont, but when our institution is at fault change falls to the wayside. But we know Scripps is no utopia: LASPA director searches get restarted. Funds continue to be mismanaged although all we need is More. We have Indigenous and Native American studies courses and no department. There are startlingly few resources for disabled students.

Classism, too, is affecting the Scripps community in very real and immediate ways.
Classism affects me when I could not buy my textbooks online or on time because my book stipend did not come in the mail until classes had already started discussing the readings.
Classism affects me when the reimbursement system expects that I have money to spend for clubs and then am able to wait for the school to pay me back. Not everyone has money to spare, and club funds should be handed off proactively instead of retroactively.

Classism affects me when I go to work at one of my three jobs on campus. I am financially reliant on myself and need to pay for things like laundry and textbooks. My need to be very aware of how I spend the money I make is gloriously juxtaposed with the endless Claremont Cash refills that some students seem to get. Swiping an ID card instead of trading actual dollars seems to be a visual equalizer for the various classes. But not everyone has the same amount of Claremont Bubble dollars as everyone else. We should probably stop trivializing our money even though it seems kind of like Monopoly money. It is, after all, money that comes from somewhere, whether that’s your own paycheck or your family’s.

But I’m not writing this to criticize how people spend their money.
I’m writing this because it’s time to bring conversations about socioeconomic class to Scripps. The aggressions committed on our campus need to stop being ignored and unnoticed. We need to stop shouldering our financial statuses in silence and come together to make a safe and comfortable community for everyone.

These pleas are not just being written here then forgotten. The examples that I’ve written about are only a few ways that I have been directly impacted—this isn’t the Lower Class Experience at Scripps. In fact, I want to hear about how classism affects others on campus, and I want us to create an organization that mobilizes Scripps students to solve institutionalized marginalization, creates dialogue, and empowers the working class without tokenizing or trivializing our experiences.
February 26 at 6:30 p.m. in the SCORE living room is the first meeting of the new working-class advocacy group that will soon be officially recognized on campus. Join us in discussing its mission and structure. There is a Facebook group, Classy, that you can also join to receive updates on our progress. It’s a space where you can get involved by voicing concerns, ideas, or anything else. Contact me, Felicia Agrelius, for more information.

Currently, there are parts of Scripps that are damagingly classist and both students and the administration realize that it is a huge problem. There is no organization to address this, so we are creating one. We need to work together and with other student advocacy groups to empower each other on issues of class and its intersection with other forms of oppression.
Change is happening. Take part in it.


Editors note : A previous edition of this post, including the one published in our Feb. 17 edition, included a logo designed by Editor-in-Chief Aidan Harley '16 that contained a Jewish star. Aidan has been made aware of this, and has since removed the star from the logo. Aidan wishes to convey that no offense was meant by the inclusion of the star in the logo, and was an oversight on her part. She takes full responsibility and wishes to apologize to those who were offended. 

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Daydreamer's Night

By Christina Wahlen '15Staff Writer

A yellowish light descends upon the 7Cs. The air begins to chill and people who traverse the fields, walkways, and suburbs of Claremont each day begin to settle into the hush of twilight, preparing for day’s end. Soon the yellow turns to a deeply hypnotic hue and die blaue Stunde descends; a fragment of time so brief, so fleeting, and yet, as it passes we find ourselves transported to another world: the realm of Night. Most people consider this to be a time, roughly between 6 p.m. and 1 a.m., where dinner is eaten, homework is hurriedly finished, and sleep is plunged into with the desperate self-indulgence that one might throw into the first embrace of a long-awaited reunion. Then we awake on the other side, where the sun is up, the birds are chirping, and the veil of night is promptly forgotten. This is one of the most tragic realizations I’ve encountered: that so few people recognize the majesty of Night. Now, while some of you might be reading and protesting that you don’t count because you stay up late all the time, let me ask: do you ever go outside during that time? If not, I highly recommend you do. We’ve been taught that night is when the monsters come out: coyotes, Grendel, and various other miscellaneous ghouls that live in the shadows, waiting to mar our destinies. This, however, isn’t really too often the case, especially here in Claremont on a weeknight. No, instead the world becomes a ghost town. By 2 a.m., it feels as though everything has been spirited away into a whole new realm: one where only you, the buildings, the moon, the stars, the mountain hares, and the distant coyote howls remain.  With only the dreamy lights of each deserted campus to light your way (And the occasional Campus Safety golf cart, just to provide an element of adventure), everything seems alive with the whisperings of ancient magic. Looking up, you see that the sky feels lower, closer, as though it’s come down to your level to walk the barren yet familiar walkways by your side; to cloak you and give you company. When the sun is gone, your eyes are brought to — low and behold — a dreamy soirée of the familiar and the strange. Each path, each building, each rock and tree—every element around you is highlighted in a whole new way. Things to which you may have never given a second thought are suddenly adorned with a fantastical glow that leaves you no choice but to be convinced of their celebrity. All mediocrity is banished from the world when one merely stops to really look and appreciate the detailed nuances of their immediate surroundings. In fact, to all those reading this article, I implore you: the next time you find yourself bored and restless, go outside and pick up the first random piece of foliage you find on the ground. Take a moment to look at it—not just as the object you know it to be, but as the organism it is, was, and could have been. Enter its world. Were you to embody its essence, what details of yourself would you hold to be most telling of your story? Perhaps the graceful gradient of color between one part and the next, or the uniquely chaotic little hole, now dried and brittle around the edges, where a bug found its way days before. There are an endless number of these small wonders just lying at your feet, but only by taking a moment to forget time and place and really look, will they ever be known. Similarly, in the cold, eerie glow of night, the magic of each detail is elevated to a whole new level—one where nothing matters but you and the nuances of the world. In the wee small hours of the morning, you don’t owe anything to anyone beside yourself, and with that the world is transformed into your own utopia of entrancing shadows and long-forgotten memories. As we grow older and taller, we stop appreciating the infinity of tiny wonders scattered around our feet. We get too caught up in the big things on the horizon, and too apprehensive of dirt and (possible) disease. Similarly, instilled in us is a fear of night and a belief that it’s nothing more than a time to sleep, stress, deviate, or drink. But as the sun goes down and we’re left to ourselves; we are given the chance to step back in time—out of time—and into a kingdom all our own: where magic has been returned to the world and whimsy rules our hearts and minds. All that’s needed is for us to open ourselves and believe in the insurmountable range of opportunities to dazzle us. And so I beseech thee: sit upon the ground and marvel at the ant’s kingdom once more; traverse the night and float through the misty, dark morning. Open yourself to the idea of inexplicable experiences, and allow yourself to be spirited away into the realm of imagination—you just might find your childhood waiting at its gates.

Title taken from the Adicts song of the same name.

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Scripps' Williamson Gallery features 70th Ceramic Annual

By Noor Asif '16Staff Writer

On January 25, the Williamson Gallery at Scripps College hosted the 70th Ceramic Annual opening show, which is the only exhibition in the nation for contemporary ceramics to occur for the past 70 years since World War II. The show has been curated in the past by both curators who are involved with the Claremont Colleges and those who are not. At the opening, a majority of the people who attended were not students or professors; they were just lovers of art from all over Southern California. This year, the show is exhibiting over 60 pieces of artworks by twenty American artists. Their work dates from between 1945 to 2013. The pieces, though all fitting into the genre of ceramics, are vastly different from each other. They give the room vibrant character, with the various colors, designs, and textures in their separate places. The room appears to be connected by these works and their differences, exhibiting the fluid relationship of ceramic art of the past flowing into the work of today. The exhibition will be on display until April 6. The Williamson Gallery is located next to Steele Hall on Columbia. Its hours of operation are Wednesday through Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m.

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Why I chose not to attend New York Fashion Week

By Stephanie Huang '16Fashion Columnist

I had it all planned out since late last August: I would skip New York Fashion Week Spring/Summer (S/S) ’13 and Vancouver Fashion Week in September, and attend New York Fashion Week Fall/Winter (F/W) ’14 in February instead.  It was blatantly obvious that I could not attend all while balancing a full course load and my wallet.  Up until a month before the F/W ’14 shows, I was deciding on which days to fly, which courses I could afford to miss, and which shows to attend.  Yet as the sacred dates neared, I couldn’t avoid asking myself whether it was all worth it or not. Six-hour plane rides, the nightmares of LA’s beloved Super Shuttle, blizzard weather, make-up coursework, and a lack of time to truly enjoy one of my favorite cities (hello, brunch and five beautiful boroughs) didn’t seem quite so enticing the more I thought about it.  There were also the odd rituals involved with Fashion Week that I wouldn’t mind missing, either: outfit changes three times a day, peep-toes in the snow, a refusal to take the subway and overuse of cabs, and a superfluity of social media and iPhones—all of which I’m not the biggest advocate of. And while it was somewhat saddening to ignore the increasing number of unanswered event invites in my inbox, I told myself that I was distancing myself from the antics of the fashion world rather than the fashion itself.  With the new era of street style and editor/blogger self-promotion at Fashion Week, the event is jarringly different from how it was years ago.  Oscar de la Renta himself expressed frustration with the celebrified “megashows” of Fashion Week, stating that they were full of “20 million people with zero connection to the clothes.” It has become more and more difficult to separate the designer’s work from the chaos of the event that surrounds it. Ultimately, this is an aspect of the industry that I want to separate myself from, and I hope that the industry will not become even more entangled with the celebrification and hype in the Fashion Weeks to come.

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Gallery: Pomona Art Museum

[gallery link="file" columns="4" orderby="title"] Photos by Tianna Sheih '16 and Nicole Zweiner '16

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Brutality and beauty in "Flowers of War"

By Elizabeth Lee '16Design Editor

Trigger warning: discussion of sexual assault and violence

I have been debating for a while now whether I actually wanted to discuss this particular film in my column. Since my primary goal in this section is to present thought-out suggestions rather than review films as they are released, I try to select ones I think can be enjoyed and accessed by many. “The Flowers of War” (2011) is one of the most powerful films I have seen, and although I am someone who normally enjoys watching favorite movies on a constant rotation, I am unlikely to ever watch it again.  This is a forewarning of the film’s unflinchingly brutal depictions of the Rape of Nanking during the Second Sino-Japanese War, but for those who are willing and able to brave through the darkness it is, despite some moments of less-than-perfect dialogue, an emotional experience that will not easily leave you. The film, directed/produced by the critically acclaimed Chinese filmmaker Zhang Yimou, was selected as China’s official entry for the Academy Awards Best Foreign Language Film Category as well as nominated for a Golden Globe; however, it did receive very mixed reviews among critics. Christian Bale stars in his second depiction of the 1937 Japanese invasion of China, the first time being his breakout performance at the age of 12 in Steven Spielberg’s “Empire of the Sun” (1987)—also a great film. I am quite an admirer of Bale’s work, but it could be said that his presence in “Flowers” somewhat overpowered the story, as well as the film’s predominately newcomer cast, and at times seemed more like a means of attracting international recognition. That said, he gave an admittedly compelling performance as John Miller, a rather crass and uncaring American mortician who, upon getting caught up in a foreign war, proves that the unexpected, ordinary man has the potential to be a hero. As the Chinese army is forced to fall back, Miller, hired to take care of a recently deceased priest, takes refuge with a group of convent schoolgirls and the young boy looking after them in a cathedral. They are then joined by a group of prostitutes also seeking safety, whom the girls regard with great disdain. All brought together, the worthless fool who doesn’t belong, the sinfully beautiful, and the virtuous embodiments of innocence struggle to survive the horrors of war. It becomes a story about redefining honor and heroism, for there is more than one kind of hero that is realized as everyone struggles and makes great sacrifices to ensure the protection and ultimate escape of the young convent girls. There’s the last remaining Chinese soldier watching over the cathedral, the perceived temptresses already bound for hell, and the unfeeling foreigner who makes his living off of death. In a time and place of total destruction and unbearable violence, innocence and pure beauty are still valued above all and by all, even a Japanese colonel, who weeps at the sound of young voices singing. It’s about how some things in life, like war, have the ability to bring out both the absolute ugliest and most beautiful aspects of human nature. By the time I had finished watching the film my emotional response had become a physical one. I felt almost sick from all the violence, not just the visualization of it but the tangible noise I could feel moving through my body.  But the tragic and unconventional beauty of these characters and their struggles to preserve goodness and innocence through such despairing darkness profoundly moved me. It’s a darkness no one should ever have to live through, but it is someone’s, in fact many someones’, reality.  And if this is what some people are actually forced to endure, then shouldn’t I, as someone lucky enough to happen to be in my sheltered circumstances, at least be able to spend two hours watching it on a screen, two hours of facing what I could pretend doesn’t exist because it’s not my reality, two hours of concentrating solely on how much I care that it is someone’s reality? I can’t change the fact that it is, but I can at least recognize it and remember to make the most of the life I am lucky enough to have, to make sure there is enough beauty in the world to balance out its brutality.

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Girls: Anything can happen?

By Caroline Nelson '16TV Columnist

Last year the trailer for Season Two of HBO’s “Girls” featured the song “Anything Can Happen” by Ellie Goulding. This was a nice thematic choice for a show that offered the possibility of real growth and change. But now with the first few episodes of Season Three I’m already beginning to feel like “here we go again…” I’m not sure if that’s a song or not, that’s just how I feel. However, this new season isn’t a full-on disappointment; it goes down some interesting paths and has some good lines and subtle but revealing character moments. But it just seems to have lost most of its zeitgeist. Maybe it’s the fact that this season just feels like more of the same or maybe it’s the fact that other shows now seem to have the “Girls” thing down better than “Girls.” “Broad City” and “Looking” come to mind, as zany and understated respectively. Upon hearing the common criticism that “the characters are really annoying,” I mentally respond, “yes but they’re supposed to be.” However, my patience is starting to wear thin. There’s only so many times that I can listen to Hannah’s pretention and self-indulgence, or watch Adam act like his volatile immaturity is actually some kind of profound depth of feeling, only so often can I hear Ray complain about his perfectly nice (if mediocre) life. There is only so much of Shoshana I can watch before she turns from endearingly ditsy to unbearably shallow, only so many times I can watch Jessa break things for the sake of breaking them, only so often can Marnie go to pieces over her intractable problem: that of being born in the wrong time period. Whether or not we just repeat the same destructive cycles until we die is a matter of some debate. But whatever your personal answer is, in my opinion it makes for dreary viewing.

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Breast density: Medicine's "best-kept secret"

By Megan Petersen '15Editor-in-Chief

Ever heard of H.R. 3404? Most women haven’t, and that, my friends, is the problem. H.R. 3404, formally known as the Breast Density and Mammography Reporting Act of 2013, would require doctors to inform a patient if they have dense breast tissue and recommend supplemental screening, and would break the silence on what advocates group call breast health’s “best-kept secret.” Despite what we are often told, one of the most well-established predictors of breast cancer risk is having what is known as dense breast tissue. About 40 percent of breasted people have dense tissue, which means that their breasts are comprised of more fibrous and connective tissue rather than fat. That percentage is higher among younger people. Problems arise when people start getting their recommended mammograms to screen for cancer. Dense tissue and tumors both show up white on mammograms, so mammograms cannot detect tumors in denser tissue. A breast MRI or an ultrasound is required to detect tumors in dense tissue. However, many radiologists do not inform patients that they have dense tissue or that mammograms cannot detect tumors in dense tissue. Fourteen states have laws mandating that radiologists and doctors provide patients with this information, but since there is no federal requirement, many people are left in the dark, with very few doctors and radiologists informing women of their risk. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal in 2011, an executive with the Radiological Society of Connecticut lobbied against her state’s bill to require informing patients because “it would increase costs and anxiety without much benefit,” a view which many similar lobbyists share. However, advocacy groups such as Are You Dense?, which was founded by a cancer survivor whose stage 3c breast cancer was not detected by a mammogram, argue that people have a right to make informed decisions about their medical treatments and exams. A study commisseioned by Are You Dense? found that 93% of the respondents said that, “if informed of their dense breast tissue would elect for additional screening as a mammogram is compromised due to dense breast tissue—missing cancer at least 40% of the time.” Insurance companies and radiologists sometimes cite cost as another factor in providing patients with information. While breast MRIs do cost significantly more than a mammogram—$716.83 compared to $81.35, according to the American College of Radiology—a breast ultrasound costs on average less than $20 more than a mammogram. While H.R. 3404 has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce for right now, there are things those of us with breasts—and those of us who care about someone with breasts—can do to protect ourselves and those we care about. 1. Always, always, ALWAYS do your monthly self-exams. You can do them in the shower, in front of a mirror, and/or laying down in bed. Start by moving your fingers around the entire breast and armpit areas in circular motions. Do it with your arms at your side and with your arm raised above your head. In front of a mirror, make sure to check the appearance of your breasts. Note any changes in feel or appearance and get them checked out by a health care provider as soon as possible. EVERY MONTH. NO EXCEPTIONS. 2. Get regular mammograms when your doctor recommends them (usually around age 40), which can be free or at a discounted price through California’s Breast Cancer Early Detection Program. Planned Parenthood also offers some discounted breast exams and screening services. 3. Request a report from your referring doctor (Are You Dense? specifies that it should be generated by the radiologist rather than only a “form letter”). 4. If your report indicates that you have dense tissue, you can request additional screening. In some states, like Massachusetts, require insurance to cover ultrasounds if mammograms detect dense tissue, but everyone’s insurance is (unfortunately) different. There are a number of organizations that provide free or discounted breast ultrasounds though, since mammograms are a staple in breast cancer care, discounted ultrasounds can be harder to come by than mammograms. Even though hundreds of thousands of American women will be diagnosed with cancer in 2014, many of them probably won’t be told that their dense breast tissue was a factor in a missed detection or in their increased risk of developing it. To us here at The Scripps Voice, it is unacceptable that specialists would rather spare patients the “anxiety” of having to do a second test than allow them to make their own choices and know what the radiologists are really looking at when they perform a mammogram on their bodies. We should be long past the days when some arbitrary person gets to decide whether a female-bodied person can “handle” certain information regarding their own health. Until that day comes, we will have to be our own advocates and advocates for one another.

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Decision time for Ukraine

By Kara Odum '15Economics Columnist

The past few months have been chaotic in Ukraine. From mass protests in the capital to allegations of torture, the country is expressing its great displeasure at President Viktor Yanukovich’s decision to back out of an EU trade pact. Ukraine is positioned in the center of two very large economic forces, with Russia on the east side and the European Union to the west. About half of the country is in support of each side. Ukraine officially became independent from the Soviet Union in 1990, which was followed by years of economic instability. It wasn’t until after the economy collapsed in 1998 that Ukraine finally met some economic prosperity in the early 2000’s. The economy in Ukraine has been suffering in the past few years due to a hard hit by the 2008 financial crisis, but Ukraine has natural resources and a highly educated workforce so they should be able to pull out of these economic hard times. Moving forward, the country finds itself at a crossroads. On one hand, Ukraine can choose to keep tight ties with Russia in exchange for subsidized commodities — especially cheaper gas — or, alternatively, they can try to integrate with the European Union, with the first step of passing a trade pact. It is widely believed that integration with the European Union would be beneficial, although any short-term gains are uncertain, while siding with Russia is seen as only benefitting the rich and powerful. Protestors and activists have been extremely active since November, when the President decided to not go through with the European Union trade pact. Since then the conflict has escalated, thanks in part to the government passing anti-protest laws that threaten ten years of imprisonment. Protestors have responded by taking over government buildings and building barricades in the capital city of Kiev. Recently, the president has tried to ease tensions by agreeing to appoint an opposition leader as the new prime minister and to repeal the anti-protest laws, but the protestors are not backing down. Vladimir Putin has indicated that Russia will continue to help the country and is not connected to a particular governmental regime. However, Russia has not restarted its financial aid to the nation and has unofficially renewed sanctions, so it will be interesting to see how Ukraine maneuvers its economic future between the European Union and Russia.

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A Missed Connection

By Alexandra Vallas '15Copy Editor

To the girl outside of Smiley on January 30: I told you I loved you. I’m not entirely sure this isn’t true. This is because I have no idea who you are. See, I thought you were a friend who has been promising me a serenade/window visit for the past week. You said a name at the beginning that I missed, and I just sort of assumed it was that friend recognizing me by my loudly projected retelling of the final scene of “Fifty Shades of Grey” and discussion of BDSM. It looks like I was wrong. However, the person you were actually looking for is very lucky because you said some very lovely things about her/him! So although we may not have met under the most romantic of circumstances, I’m still not entirely sure that I don’t love you. I just, you know, think we ought to meet first, since I’m not very keen on professing my love to people without having at least learned their name (though of course, that’s usually enough for me). (P.S. If you sing musical duets outside of Smiley, I’m 100% guaranteed to respond in harmony if I know the words and am in my room. So come back by and bring your favorite love duet and I’ll show you the “Colors of the Wind” if that’s something you might be into.) To my friend: This isn’t infriendelity. I promise. You know you’re the only one for me.

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Scripps receives 15 percent more applications for class of 2018

By Julia Thomas '17Staff Writer

In recent years, the number of applications to universities in the United States has risen dramatically. Not surprisingly, as the Common Application has widened its reach to more colleges across the country, students are able to apply to more schools with ease. Time Magazine reported that in 2012, 750,000 applicants submitted 3 million applications, with an average of four colleges per student. Similarly, the 2013-2014 admissions cycle at Scripps College brought in the biggest pool of applications yet, with a 15 percent increase from last year and over 2,700 applications. Though many factors contribute to this increase, much can be attributed to Scripps’ media presence and efforts to reach out to students across the country. “The increase in applications has come across the board,” said Scripps Vice President for enrollment Victoria Romero. “No certain group of students has seen a peak.” While some colleges have seen an increase in international students, Scripps did not experience a significant growth in that area. Instead, the college received a noticeable increase in applications from states such as Texas, Oregon, Massachusetts, Illinois, Arizona, New Jersey, and Hawaii. Romero explained that this increased interest may be due to DecemberFest, an event in which counselors from around the country visit a variety of colleges in southern California, as well as increased numbers of counselors visiting from the South and Northeast. Scripps is also using different resources and an increased internet presence to reach out to prospective students. The admissions office also aims to keep publications current and reflective of today’s Scripps. “We’ve done a lot of work to make sure that our publications are true to the Scripps tradition but also contemporary,” said Romero. Last year, Scripps welcomed its largest ever first year class, with 272 new students. Though there has been much debate about whether admissions will evaluate applications differently this year, the admissions office has not changed the way they look at prospective students. “We have not changed the way we are reading a file,” said Romero. “It is still a holistic review. The application review process is not any different.” The number of students who accept their offer of admission (the yield) is projected based on past enrollment and history. Though the admissions office is able to rely on past data and does their best to predict numbers, they are not necessarily able to predict how every student will react with each year’s admission cycle. Romero explained that typically, the first year class loses eight to ten students in the summer time, but the class of 2017 lost very few over the summer months. Since the admission office’s prediction is largely based off of behavior, yield can vary from year to year. However, the Scripps Office of Admission plans on keeping the overall student body close to 950. Said Romero, “We’re going to try our very best to make sure we don’t admit too many.”

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The grass is greener at Scripps

By Natalie Camrud '17Staff Writer

Southern California has always been known for its sunny skies and arid climate. But lately things have been a little too dry, and at this point everybody is wishing for a rainy day. 2013 was the driest year on record for California, and so far 2014 is no different. On January 17, Governor Jerry Brown officially declared California in a drought state of emergency. The lack of rain and subsequent drought has led to rampant wildfires that have come as close to the 5C’s as Glendora and Orange County. Everyone at Scripps, myself included, loves the bright green grass covering our campus, but a little twinge of guilt goes through me whenever I hear the sprinklers go off in the morning or when I see the marshy puddles of excess water by the sidewalk. Scripps Associated Student (SAS) Sustainability Chair Leah Hochberg wrote to The Scripps Voice that certain areas “are over-seeded to ensure that they remain green year-round” so that they are presentable for events like Commencement and Alumnae Weekend and create that distinctive, vibrant green covering the Scripps campus. “These areas are watered during the day in the beginning of the semester so the new seeds will sprout,” continued Hochberg. “But once the grass begins to grow, the watering schedule reverts to its usual nightly operation.” She added that sprinkler use during the day is often to check whether the sprinklers are functional. The Director of Grounds Lola Trafecanty is aware of the issues surrounding water conservation, and has recommended lawn removal at a few areas of the Scripps campus and adding drought tolerant plants to the proposed areas. This would be a great way to cut back on water usage while also maintaining the beautiful landscaping that students love. The lawn between GJW and Kimberly has already been removed, and since hundreds of people walk there every day the grass probably would have died out on its own. According to Trafecanty, the central irrigation system at Scripps was installed in the 1990’s. Upgrades are underway to make the irrigation more sustainable and efficient but are not expected to be finished until this summer. In the meantime, a conference addressing this issue is coming to Scripps later this semester. The American Institute for Progressive Democracy will be at Scripps on March 1. The Institute is bringing together 11 speakers from the 5Cs and southern California to address water issues. The keynote speaker will be Peter Gleick from the Pacific Institute, and all students are encouraged to attend this event. Until then, there are many small things that students can do to help conserve water, like not letting the water run while you brush your teeth and reporting broken sprinklers, which cause those egregious puddles of water, to . Even cutting back on our water usage a little bit would help the state of California and uphold Scripps’s value of integrity and social responsibility.

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SAS: Eurotrash a big success

By Haley GodtfredsenSAS 5C Events Chair

Another year, another Eurotrash. On November 9th, SAS held its largest 5C party of the year in the Sallie Tiernan Field House parking garage. Students dressed in “Eurotrash” attire and danced to DJ Frakture’s bumpin’ EDM music. SAS declared the three-hour party a success, with one of the highest attendances of all of the past Eurotrash events. SAS prides itself in creating safe party atmospheres. This year we took extra steps to make Eurotrash a comfortable space for all by increasing the visibility inside the usually darker parking garage and by increasing the number of security personnel. Increased visibility also created more lit open areas where attendees could converse rather than only having dimly lit areas for dancing. We are pleased to report that there were no alcohol or drug related hospital transports, which frequently occur at events of this size. Post-party, SAS discussed the meaning of the term Eurotrash. Some people have been left asking, “What is Eurotrash, how does one dress like that, and what does it mean?” There have been some confused students and several incidences of students in past years feeling uncomfortable with the theme. For those who don’t know, Eurotrash was originally associated with electric dance music (EDM), which was popular mostly in Europe. Over time, it migrated over to the United States and became popular, so the party and style of music has lost its original association to Europe. All of this considered, we are considering a name change for Eurotrash. This does not mean the end of dressing up in fun, neon, and crazy attire, or playing EDM at large parties. Rather, in picking a different name we hope it will clear up any confusion about what the party and its implications are. We don’t want students to feel they might be offending someone else if they dress to fit the party theme. We have not come to any conclusions about this issue, but will encourage next year’s SAS representatives to consider it before they put on what would be Eurotrash next year. SAS will continue to discuss how we can improve large 5C events. It is our goal to create environments that are safe, comfortable, and fun for all partygoers.

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