OH, WOULD YOU LOOK AT THOSE YELP REVIEWS! COMMENTARY ON THE METRO BLUE LINE

TW. Ableism/Classism, Holocaust

 

Many of us, especially those not from Southern California, wish we could spend some time outside the Claremont bubble. One popular way of doing this is by going to Los Angeles. While many of us have taken the Metrolink to Downtown LA, fewer of us have taken the Metro Blue Line. This article is a way of giving you the facts on this train, before you get scared senseless by reading Yelp reviews. 

Yelp MTA Blue Line Reviews are the epitome of what happens when people (mostly White) are sheltered their whole lives and do not know how to deal with PUBLIC transportation and the fact that there are people of color there. This is not only about race, as sheltered people live everywhere, but it is true that the Blue Line is populated by mostly people of color. It is the service hundreds of thousands of people use to travel from Downtown LA into South LA and Long Beach. And get this: Most of them are hard workers, and use the line only to get from Point A to Point B. And yet the Yelp reviews will say “most” people are loud or ready to shoot you. 

Yes, there are mentally ill people on the train, as well as other eccentric characters. I remember a man who would take out his glass eye and show it to me as a child. And let’s not forget Black Santa asking for pot brownies and Jack Daniels for Christmas after selling us finger lights. However, we cannot ban them; this is public transportation and they have as much of a right to be there as anyone else. And if there are ever people who get too out of hand, there is always a conductor and police force, especially when going through the areas of Compton and Florence. 

If I were to take the time to answer to every Yelp Blue Line Review that is racist, classist and ableist, we would all be here a very long time. This is why the following two reviews are but a snapshot.  In the first one, I would like to draw attention to the phrase, “Most of its riders demonstrate urban poverty at its worst...” And what exactly is urban poverty at its best? In addition, even if you knew nothing about the Blue Line coming into this, there is no way that saying the riders were “raised by wolves and vending machines” does not raise red flags.

 The next review is just as terrible, as the author writes, “It also seemed as we were in a concentration train heading to Auschwitz” without a second thought. Response to that: No. There is no reason to complain seeing black and brown people on a train to the Holocaust. It is not that bad. Ever. Both of these reviews show that there are huge amounts of segregation in this city, with people here who are surprised that Los Angeles has poor people. There are legitimate reasons to complain about the Metro LA Blue line, such as train delays and overcrowding (of which there is a lot), but this is not one of them. On the contrary, the Blue Line can offer an environmentally friendly way to quickly reach Downtown Long Beach, shopping areas, and cultural monuments for only $1.50. All you have to do is be respectful and willing to mingle with people you wouldn’t normally.  

All in all, riding public transportation in Los Angeles is one of the best ways you can get to know the city. There really is a new way of seeing it when not in the confines of an individual car. But like LeVar Burton says on the show Reading Rainbow, “Don’t take my word for it!” 

*Eduardo Villa Jr, besides being Nancy’s BF, is an Anthropology student at California State University Long Beach (CSULB), and has been a proud Blue Line commuter for four years. 

RE-ENVISIONING THE SAT ADMISSIONS REQUIREMENT: A BEGINNER’S GUIDE

So, if Scripps College decides to get rid of the SAT requirement, what alternatives are left? When speaking to the admission staff, there is worry about the need for an objective method of finding out the quality of their applicants.
Reasons why this is necessary are understandable: measures such as GPA become less useful in comparing students the more schools they come from. This is because a student could get a 4.0 for the same amount of work that earned another student at another school a 3.3. Every school and teacher have different ways of grading. In addition, there is the phenomenon of grade inflation, meaning GPAs have increased over time. This means that GPAs of most applicants to Scripps are now at least 3.8, higher than in the past. Therefore, the SAT and ACT seem like the least bad options, since they are identical tests given to every student. However, as with any “objective test” such as the IQ test, the test is never truly objective, and will always have its biases. This leaves the question: Is there a better way?  
Because of such high levels of competition among students, other measures have to be taken in order to find the best applicants, so Scripps engages in its fabulous holistic assessment process. This uses a combination of factors in order for the admissions office to decide whether someone is a great fit for the school or not. Here, we will examine alternative ways that the admissions office can measure students’ ability without requiring the SAT or ACT.

Eliminating the option to submit
SAT/ACT Scores
Let’s start with the most radical option and, at the Board of Trustees meeting, the first option that came up. Scripps could make it so that students cannot submit SAT/ACT scores to them. They do this by not having a College Board reporting number. By doing this, all students would be on an equal playing field. There is no risk for implicit bias, where students or admissions officers feel that students who submit scores are at an advantage to those who don’t. In addition, every applicant saves money.
There are three downsides to this: Scripps might have a slightly lower ranking, because average SAT scores are used. Of course, for agency reporting purposes the College can still collect the scores, but the mean is divided by .9.
It also ignores the fact that in our society, the SAT is still considered important, and is used to acquire scholarships and get into clubs. In addition, this could be a disappointment to students who feel proud of their testing score and cannot report it as part of their application. In light of this, it might be easier for Scripps to make a more gradual transition in terms of the SAT and ACT requirement.

Switching to SAT optional
This is by far the most common option that colleges take. Part of it is because it sits better politically, and is an easier policy to pass. However, it does offer benefits. The College Board stays content with the college because it is not opting out of their services altogether.
This is important, as historically the organization has gone to great lengths to keep customers, most famously in 2005 when the University of California system was about to opt out of the testing requirement. In addition, this allows students who feel proud of their scores to have the choice to continue reporting them to their desired colleges.
Usually when colleges are SAT optional, they only offer this option to students who already have a high GPA and/or class rank. This means that students who do not fulfill the exemption requirements still have a chance of admission by submitting their presumably amazing SAT and/or ACT scores.

 

Alternatives to the SAT/ACT
1.    SAT Subject Tests/ Advanced Placement (AP) exams
Since this isn’t my favorite option, let’s get this one out of the way. Many counselors have suggested using the SAT subject tests or AP exams as a way to substitute the SAT.  Research by Colby College shows that these exams are more indicative of knowledge and academic success than the SAT. Also, they tend to be aligned with school curricula, and in many cases are more rigorous than the SAT or ACT. (Currently Scripps College does not require SAT subject tests or AP exam scores.) However, there is a huge problem of access. If students cannot afford or do not have the option of fee waivers, then switching to these tests is still exclusionary for them. AP exams are even more expensive than the SAT, at $89 each. In addition, there are no fee waivers available, only fee reductions to $40 per exam (with additional district subsidies sometimes available). In addition, these exams are not administered as often, and some schools choose not to engage with the academic structure of AP courses.
2. Class Rank
First off, class rankings are numbers; what could be more objective than that? In all seriousness, class rank is a tool that can be used as a way for Scripps to distill the best of the crop. Scripps already uses class rank in its favor, pulling most of its class from the top 10th percentile. It is effective in measuring capability because it puts applicants in their local context. Being the best student in your high school academically means a lot, no matter the school you came from- that is a fact. The admissions website brags that future Scripps students’ grades “rarely venture past the first letter of the alphabet”. Rank is a way of being able to quantify the value of those high GPAs, which can be supplemented by the rest of the admissions materials.
    However, not every school ranks their students. In addition, there are some excellent students who because of extenuating circumstances, could not achieve spectacular grades all the time. For this reason, the submission of class rank (usually shown in school transcripts), like standardized tests, should always remain optional.
    3. Portfolios/ Graded essays, tests
Schools who go SAT optional usually ask their students to submit writing samples and/or math exams. These give the admissions team a chance to see for themselves the ability applicants possess in the way standardized tests claim to do. Scripps College already requires a writing sample from every student, in order to both gauge ability and place students in Writing 50. Therefore, Scripps could choose to require a math exam to those who do not submit scores (Everyone if there is no option to submit scores).
    According to Inside Higher Ed, Lewis and Clark College has, since 1990, offered students the option to opt out of the SAT if they submit a portfolio of four of their best works from junior and senior year of high school. In this case (and most others), the stereotype that students who choose not to submit scores have low ones is not true. Instead, what the college sees is that students who do the portfolio option tend to be more motivated. It may not be a popular choice, but having that choice makes students satisfied, because they do not have to be represented with a test score.
Scripps has always been proud of its incoming classes. Every summer, during the community meeting, the president shows a snapshot of the first-years and their amazing accomplishments. In an environment like this, there is plenty of room for creativity; where the SAT and ACT, can still have a place, but not a mandatory one. And students can choose to submit an alternative, realistically something along the path of the portfolio, an escape from the fatigue of our culture of over testing.

THE SCRIPPS COLLEGE RUMOR MILL

In this segment, we will quench the gossip that goes around Scripps College, and relay the real truth: 

1. Chris Guzaitis’ was not laid off. Guzaitis chose to leave Scripps College because she did not feel it was a personal fit for her. She preferred to move back to her community in Chicago, and pursue another line of work. The reason her resignation felt so strange was because of the official Scripps e-mail, which offered no clue to what her next job was. It also did not give students a way to wish her off, and she did not appear to receive a farewell party. This had made students suspicious as to why she had left. 

2. There will not be an increase in tenure requirements. This was a rumor started after students despaired over having two great professors, Tony Crowley and Guzaitis, left Scripps College. The issue of tenure in higher education is a contentious issue however. Members of the Scripps community tend to be in support of tenure. Even here however, there are struggles in keeping a balance between professors on the tenure-track and those who are part-time and not on the tenure-track. Compared to other colleges, who are getting rid of tenure altogether, Scripps is relatively good at having professors who are tenured, and in hiring at least some new professors on the tenure-track.

We at the Scripps Voice acknowledge that the topic of tenure can be confusing, and so we will be conducting a two-part series on the tenure process, and the tenure debate. Part One will cover the tenure debate in general, and Part Two will focus on how tenure works at Scripps College. 

If you have any rumors that you have been hearing (or reading about on the Internet!)  about Scripps College, or any of the Claremont Colleges that you would like us to investigate, please email them to us at

AN INTRODUCTORY GUIDE TO PROFESSOR TENURE AND HIRING PRACTICES

As promised, here is a breakdown of two often confusing topics: professor tenure and hiring practices. Here are the facts directly from the source: Dean of Faculty, Amy Marcus Newhall. In addition, further explanation comes from the Scripps Faculty Handbook. 
What happens when a faculty member retires, resigns or is displaced? 
If the position was tenure-track, then the replacement position is usually tenure-track as well. The department the position was in submits a request for replacement, which outlines why there is a need for the position. The replacement is not automatic, but close to it, with an assumption that the position will be filled. 
What is the difference between Tenured, Contract-based, and Contingent Faculty? 
Tenured faculty are those whom after demonstrating excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service for six years, are awarded with a higher level of job security. With tenure, the College has decided to commit to having a job for the faculty for the rest of his or her career. 
Contract-based faculty are hired for determined amount of time. When the contract ends, their job might end. Contract-based faculty are still eligible to receive resources from Scripps, such as research money and travel awards in order for them to continue developing their career. In addition, they are able to apply for tenure-track positions as they open. Many faculty, such as Amy Marcus Newhall herself, started their Scripps career on a contract-basis, and were then able to secure a tenure-track position. 
Contingent faculty teach classes at Scripps on a part-time basis. They may not yet have the scholarship needed to apply for a tenure-track position, and so use this position as a way to gain experience. For example, there have been language professors who start off as contingent faculty at Scripps and then move on to tenure-track positions at other colleges. Alternatively, some contingent faculty may not want the pressure of constant publishing and so voluntarily choose to not do the tenure track. 
What about Writing 50 professors? Where do they stand? 
Professors who teach Writing 50 are hired on a course-by-course basis, not a multi-year contract. They are given a stipend to teach the course. They are not eligible to apply for research funds because they are here for such a short time. The only full-time faculty in the Writing Department are Kimberly Drake and Glenn Shimshaw (Shimshaw is full-time, but not on the tenure-track). It is difficult to hire the Writing 50 instructors full-time because most students who take the course, only take it during the fall, and prefer to do so. Hiring these professors full-time would mean giving the professors courses to teach during the Spring. 
How do we decide what new faculty positions to open up?
Whenever there is the election of a new Faculty Executive Committee (FEC), there is a call out to all departments to submit materials where they list their priorities. Based on that, the committee decides what new positions to open up. In addition, they look at the current faculty-student ratio and hire in a way to keep it 10:1. For this cycle, there has been a call out for five new tenure-track positions in Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies (previously filled by Chris Guzaitis), Politics (unfilled), English (filled by Jacqueline Wernimont), Media Studies (unfilled) and Hispanic Studies (unfilled). The FEC is dedicated to a fair and open process when it comes to the hiring of faculty. Board members are voted on, although there is no guarantee of even representation of members across disciplines. 
In addition, for truly intercollegiate departments, the 7C Academic Dean’s committee plans the hiring of new faculty. They have made an ongoing commitment to hire two new tenure-track faculty in all three ethnic studies departments. 
The Keck Science Department works on a different, more complex level. There is currently a severe shortage of tenure-track science professors, but it is not possible to hire them due to a lack of space. Tenure-track faculty are expected to engage in research, but right now the Department is maxed out on lab and work space. Because science professors have their own lab, they are also more expensive to hire. Thus, there is planning underway for a new science building. 
Hiring of professors at Scripps, the Intercollegiate Departments and the Keck Science Department is connected because they are all paid out of the same general budget. For the Intercollegiate Departments and Keck, Scripps pays a portion of the faculty’s salary. 
How are students involved in faculty hiring and tenure procedures? 
When evaluating a faculty member for the prospect of tenure, students are asked to write letters in or against their favor. In addition, course evaluations are a critical component analyzed by the Appointment, Promotions and Tenure Committee (APT) when deciding whether or not to grant a professor tenure. In addition, winning the Student’s Choice Professor of the Year Award is something that can be put on a professor’s resume, and is seen as a huge positive. 

ON SILENCE

I love you Scripps, and that’s why I need you to change. There are these things that you keep doing that leave me sad and frustrated. It’s why I spent all night campaigning, flyering, writing, meeting. Because I want to see change. I need to feel hope.

            One of the best parts of the College is the amazing people here. If it wasn’t for them, going here would be a much sadder experience. There was an e-mail sent out recently by President Lori Bettison-Varga stating that the search for a LASPA director was going to be restarted. LASPA is a leadership center that Scripps will inaugurate next year. The search for a director had whittled down to two candidates, one being Margo Okazawa-Rey. Besides being involved in international anti-violence work and being one of the founding members of the Combahee River Collective, she has the credentials and decades of work experience for the job. She was the director of other leadership centers, and is committed to fostering every student’s individual type of leadership.

On a personal note, I had met with her over the summer, where she was scheduled to give the generic “diversity” talk for the organization I was a part of. To my surprise, she went above and beyond in her work. Unusual for a one hour talk on diversity, she covered complex areas such as hegemony and intersectionality. Immediately after the talk, I went to one of the Scripps administrators and said, “I would love her to be the speaker for the first years’ diversity and inclusivity meeting.” She didn’t get the position, but they reassured me that the chosen speaker they hired would be just as great.

So of course I was thrilled to see her be a candidate for the LASPA director position. Because I knew she would be amazing. Because she was a queer woman of color (Japanese/Black) who would look out for the interest of underserved communities. Administrators, in my eyes, had always painted this center as somewhere I would not want to be. Something that cannot serve me. (Note: The following was told to me over the summer so the plans might have changed.) It would have a wall full of LCD screens, so that they can constantly broadcast the world’s news. They would also be used in order for Scripps students to have video conferences with leaders across the world and to have their job interviews with employers outside of California. To me, it serves to evoke images of what it would look like if a corporation had a child with the United Nations.

Margo Okazawa-Rey, with her candidacy, inspired me to broaden my view of the center. She introduced values that could be essential for creating a successful center, even if it wasn’t the one receiving the most donations. We could have a center that also focuses on social justice. On community engagement, not just internationally, but with our local surroundings, like Ontario and Pomona. We could helpeveryone, and develop each type of leadership, including campaigning for public office, community organizing and teaching.

In order to advocate for her selection, there were petitions, surveys and individual letters sent out. In addition, she had the support from the faculty in the selection committee and from alumni. And yet, she wasn’t chosen. Actually, no one was chosen since the process has been restarted. And that, to me, was a way of shattering my dreams. We were all confused. As a student body. Angry too. Because if Lori-Bettison Varga will not acknowledge the product of a democratic process, then why even have it to begin with? Why ask for student input at that point?

What kept me sane, and what is still keeping me sane, is that there are many people that feel the way I do. Because if I were the only one, or I didn’t know anyone else, I knew it would have weighed on me. Because there are fewer feelings that sink to your gut than that of being silenced. Then that of feeling incompetent, knowing there is nothing you can do.

And so I am grateful to have so many amazing people around here that can fight back. So that we can join together and make sure we are heard. So that I can keep having hope that Scripps can be a place for students, whom outside of the Bubble, are already cast out.

Scripps College rumor mill

In this segment, we will quench the gossip that goes around Scripps College, and relay the real truth: 

1. Chris Guzaitis’ was not laid off. Guzaitis chose to leave Scripps College because she did not feel it was a personal fit for her. She preferred to move back to her community in Chicago, and pursue another line of work. The reason her resignation felt so strange was because of the official Scripps e-mail, which offered no clue to what her next job was. It also did not give students a way to wish her off, and she did not appear to receive a farewell party. This had made students suspicious as to why she had left. 

2. There will not be an increase in tenure requirements. This was a rumor started after students despaired over having two great professors, Tony Crowley and Guzaitis, left Scripps College. The issue of tenure in higher education is a contentious issue however. Members of the Scripps community tend to be in support of tenure. Even here however, there are struggles in keeping a balance between professors on the tenure-track and those who are part-time and not on the tenure-track. Compared to other colleges, who are getting rid of tenure altogether, Scripps is relatively good at having professors who are tenured, and in hiring at least some new professors on the tenure-track.

We at the Scripps Voice acknowledge that the topic of tenure can be confusing, and so we will be conducting a two-part series on the tenure process, and the tenure debate. Part One will cover the tenure debate in general, and Part Two will focus on how tenure works at Scripps College. 

If you have any rumors that you have been hearing (or reading about on the Internet!)  about Scripps College, or any of the Claremont Colleges that you would like us to investigate, please email them to us at

In News
Comment