A LOOK AT THE NEW SCRIPPS CLORGS

November 28, 2014 Meagan McIntyre

Empowering Education

Empowering Education is an educational program for middle school-aged disabled students at El Roble Intermediate School. The program will consist of tutoring, college-readiness workshops, and tours, as well as workshops around disability justice. On the part of college students, the program will be based on a social justice service model, which will consciously encourage tutors to engage critically with their own positionalities and privileges with regards to systems of oppression in our society. For the middle school students, we will be providing academic support and empowering education with a focus on disability justice. Our hope is to empower, encourage, and educate disabled communities and allies to create social change. Contact: Sheena Iwamoto and Natalie Yau.

Women in Technology
Scripps Women in Technology is a club dedicated to three goals. The first goal of the club is to provide technology resources and information to Scripps students. This includes things such as making sure they are aware of the technology available on campus (computer labs, iPads, cameras, software, etc.) and the services on-campus (IT, CP&R, tech classes). The second goal is to foster a community where students of all tech levels can work together, learn together, and grow. This includes students giving workshops on things such as wordpress, building a computer, etc. The third goal of the club is to help alumni in tech fields connect with students so that the alumni may share their knowledge and experiences of working in a field dominated by men. Our mission is to make Scripps students more tech literate, and provide resources and mentoring for students interested in tech fields. Contact: Alicen Lewis and Sarah Chung.

Chinese Student Association
Scripps Chinese Student Association (SCSA) is dedicated to offer the Scripps community a social and cultural environment to learn more about China through activities and discussions. SCSA is also a platform for Scripps Chinese students to share their experiences. Contact: Wanyun Yang.

Student Art Society
The Scripps Student Art Society exists to ensure ample opportunities for Scripps students to participate in student-run exhibitions, promote awareness of other art students and art enthusiasts on campus, to provide an avenue through which Scripps students can engage with the Los Angeles art community, and to catalyze discussions on how the Scripps art program can be improved in the future. Contact: Leah Hughes.

Law Society
The Scripps College Law Society is a student-run organization dedicated to legal issues. SCLS organizes events for Scripps women regarding the law, such as LSAT Prep events, Public Speaking events, events about current popular issues in Law, as well as semi-annual networking dinners with guest speakers in the Law.

Fair Trade Committee
The Scripps College Fair Trade Committee seeks to gain and sustain Fair Trade Certification for Scripps College. Within the guidelines of Fair Trade Campaigns, we join a national effort to promote ethical supply chains in all domains of production. In Fair Trade Certification we seek to ensure that Scripps College offers goods from production systems that provide: 1) Fair wages to farmer groups based on a FT minimum floor price that grants a premium for certified organic products. 2) Credit for community development projects chosen and carried out by the members of farming communities, themselves. 3) Fair labor conditions that prohibit forced child labor, ensure safety on the job, and grant workers freedom of association. 4) Environmental sustainability that prohibits GMOs and harmful agrochemicals. Contact: Ariana Stuart and Emily Moore.

Women in Finance and Consulting
Our group aims to provide business-related resources and information to Scripps students, foster an on-campus community of future industry professionals, and connect students with alumni, particularly in the finance and consulting industries. We will achieve this by making sure students are aware of industry-specific opportunities on ClaremontConnect; coordinating workshops on technical financial interviews, business school applications, and post-graduate plans; and providing on-campus networking opportunities, among other endeavors. Contact: Penny Wu and Sarah Chung.

Innovate@Scripps
Empowering Scripps women interested in entrepreneurship to learn more about the field, found companies, and make change. Contact: Caroline Ebinger.

The Mission at Natuvu Creek
Our mission is to serve, at our best, the rural people of Fiji through the provision of world-class medical/dental care, education, job training and counseling in healthful living and spiritual growth. Contact: Dina Aluzri.

Scripps Climate Justice
Scripps Climate Justice seeks to foster mindful action within the Scripps community on the issue of global climate change. The Claremont Colleges Fossil Fuel Divestment Campaign has already been working toward these goals for two years, and this group seeks to amplify their work on the Scripps campus. The practices of the fossil fuel industry directly contribute to increasingly common and damaging climate disasters and disproportionately affect low income and minority communities through pollution, toxic waste dumping, and dangerous working conditions. With these pressing issues in mind, we hope to build connections to those within the local community who suffer most from the adverse effects of the fossil fuel industry and use our position of power as college students to encourage the school administration to divest from fossil fuels. This movement is about challenging the entrenched power dynamics of the fossil fuel industry’s political and economic stranglehold on our government and society. Contact: Elizabeth Medford and Avery Pheil.

CARE: Creating Academic Relations Through Education
CARE is a student-run organization that cultivates a mutually beneficial educational relationship between the Claremont Colleges and Chaparral Elementary School. The aims of this organization focus on providing elementary school students with college-level role models to inspire them towards the pursuit of higher education, while providing college students with an opportunity to become familiar with a public school education system, elementary school teaching methods, and most importantly, first-hand experience in a classroom setting. The goal is to create a lasting alliance between the five Claremont Colleges and the local elementary school to cultivate dialogue and interaction between them. In addition to providing students with an opportunity to engage with a local public school, this is also a great way for students who are interested in volunteering in the community to do so in a positive and fun way. Contact: Caitlyn Marianacci.

Fandangueras De Claremont
Fandangueras de Claremont seeks to create a space of convivencia, or communal living, through the practice of Fandango Jarocho, a tradition of Veracruz, Mexico, that incorporates music, dance, and verse. We aim to build community, create a context for social justice work related to Fandango Jarocho, and sustain the knowledge and participatory practices learned and embodied in Professor Martha Gonzalez’s class, Fandango as a De-Colonial Tool. Contact: Melissa Montez.

Claremont Integrated Science Society
The Claremont Integrated Sciences Society (CISS) is a forum for the science students at the Joint Science Department, Keck Science. The purpose of the CISS is to allow for the mentorship of science students and to preserve the voice of science students in departmental affairs including but not limited to curriculum and others. The CISS intends to provide guidance for science students by offering advice for courses and college in general. Through social gatherings and other events, the CISS hopes to create lifelong bonds between students that have a passionate interest in the sciences. The latter purposes of the CISS will be to network and share experiences in the sciences from discussing internship experiences to collaborating for future research projects. Contact: Emilie Fisher.

Coalition Against Classism
We are an action-based student-run organization that advocates for institutional and social change centered around classism and its intersections with other systems of oppression. We also seek to create community and a support network for students affected by classism. Contact: Felicia Agrelius.

Garden Club
We created the Scripps Garden Club to maintain the beautiful, peaceful, and delicious student run garden. We work with the students and grounds to ensure that the Scripps Garden is a place where students can safely grow and consume a multitude of organic fruits, vegetables and herbs. This wonderful, free resource is provided for us by Scripps grounds and the dedicated Scripps students who worked hard to build and maintain it in the past. The Garden Club is an easy way to show our appreciation for their efforts while being rewarded with the amazing fruits of our labors. We also promote healthy eating, living, composting, and sustainability awareness at Scripps and in our daily lives.

Leaders in Education
Our mission is to build a community of future educators and activists fighting for more just schools, and particularly (but not exclusively) focused on public education. We will collaborate with other organizations both on and off campus to end the use of education as a tool to sustain colonialism, capitalism, and militarism. This is a political organization: a platform to promote, defend, and fight for public education, through engaging the Claremont community in political discourse confronting issues of ableism, classism, heterosexism, and racism, and how students can effect positive change. Through networking, hosting speakers, and organizing teach-ins, we will connect students with resources to advance their futures as educators and/or activists. Contact: Tara Partow and Nancy Herrera.

I Am That Girl
This isn’t just a women’s movement, it’s a human movement. And we need everyone. A girl’s physical, emotional and mental well-being is rooted in her self-worth. And we are living in an epidemic of self-doubt. I AM THAT GIRL exists to transform self-doubt into self-love. Every day, girls are bombarded with messages that attack what she is NOT and we work every day to help her love who SHE IS; to see that in herself and inspire that in others. We’ve seen limitless possibility when girls collaborate instead of compete and contribute as much as they consume. By building community for girls to be seen, be heard, be loved, and belong, to discover their innate worth, and to embrace and celebrate who they are, we will transform their lives and create a healthier, more powerful world. Our local and digital community, premium, curated, and user-generated content, and targeted education-based programs all address the emotional, mental and physical well-being of girls. COMMUNITY: We build online and offline community to give girls a safe space to DISCOVER, BE, and EXPRESS who she is. CONTENT: Media is the most powerful tool to influence how a girl defines herself. We CREATE, CURATE, and ADVOCATE for premium and user-generated content for various distribution channels to inspire healthy conversations and honest perspectives. EDUCATION: We are providing tangible tools and resources with an interactive curriculum to teach girls emotional intelligence, professional skills and personal development. Contact: Laurel Schwartz and Sarah Rosen.

Feminist Union
Feminist Union Scripps College will build a community-based anti-racist feminist space of reflection, action, and self care. We will create dialogues about approaches to gender justice that are plural, critical, and constructive. Our approach rests on the premise that gendered inequalities emerge from plural experiences of power and systemic oppression. These include, but are not limited to, racial, gendered, classed, and national positioning in which we are differentially located both within our communities and as individuals. We hope to create a space where self sustainability and grassroots leadership among the most marginalized communities, with a particular focus on those experiencing gendered violence, are supported in ways that create learning as well as progressive social change. We will endorse a space of self-care by inviting organizers and community members to share and discuss the experience of activism among marginalized communities. We believe that shared experiences are a source of power, support, and comfort, and that is why our intervention as a Feminist Union is to advocate for structural support for the Feminist Gender and Sexuality Studies department, and recognizing self care as a necessary part of engaging in this work. We envision collective leadership that mindfully creates projects and campaigns that blend thinking and action in progress and transformative ways. Contact: Zandalee Springs and Kay James.

SCRIPPS REPORTS MOST PREGAMING OF 5CS

November 28, 2014 Meagan McIntyre

AlcoholEdu, the online alcohol abuse prevention course completed by incoming first years at over 500 universities across the country, provides students with information about the dangers of alcohol and also provides administrators with information about the drinking habits of its first-year class. This year the disparity between the five colleges’ results was quite surprising. Scripps recorded the highest percentage of students pre-gaming (68 percent) and taking shots (63 percent) out of all of the colleges. While Pomona and CMC were within 5 percent, Scripps still fell 17 percent above the national average.

Some students were not surprised by the results. “So many of the parties are on campus that the majority of the drinking is happening at the pregame,” Joelle Leib ’17 said. The results seemed to back it up as well, because 84 percent of the first years that have drunk said they did so in dorm rooms on campus.

The program goal is to educate students to practice safe drinking habits and to ultimately reduce the number of negative circumstances that develop from drinking. The course includes five modules covering topics such as: how to minimize harm with alcohol consumption, the standard drink, alcohol laws, and high-risk habits. Four of the five modules are completed before the start of the school and the last is taken a few weeks into the school year. Along with Scripps, Harvey Mudd, Claremont McKenna, and Pomona all participate in the online education course.

High risk drinking, defined as five drinks or more at least once in a two week time period, is also a problem at the 5Cs. CMC drew the highest amount with 28 percent, with Scripps just a mere 4 percent behind. All of the four participating colleges were at 15 percent and higher for at risk drinkers.

Another red flag that drew campus officials’ attention was the number of students that reported being taken advantage of sexually during a time when they were under the influence. Ten percent of first-year students reported having this experience.

The data was collected within the first few weeks of school because the goal of the program is to eliminate any potential negative affects that first years may encounter with consuming alcohol. Therefore the number of sexual assaults that have occurred during intoxication is disturbing.

Evetth Gonzalez, of SARLO, says that there are programs planned for the future that will hopefully help combat these issues. Between a new Health and Wellness director at the Tiernan Field House, and the increase in programs that everfy (the company that does AlcoholEdu) positive change will hopefully occur.

It is all part of the college experience to go out and have fun. AlcoholEdu is a program that is supposed to guide students by helping educate them to make informed decisions. The results give a look into what is working and what is not, which shows there is room to reflect and improve—to make sure that the ultimate goal of students feeling safe on campus is accomplished.

EXAMINING VIOLENCE IN“THE VANISHING RACE” AT HONNOLD

November 28, 2014 Meagan McIntyre

It is said works of art exist fully only when they are put on display. It’s the interaction of the piece with the viewer that solidifies it as art. Further, when a piece is deemed art, many times the artist is hailed for creating beauty, and, context, most of the time, is ignored. Do images, if beautiful, mask different types of violence behind them?
Exploring this concept, the Core I program brought in a gallery of photographs taken by Edward Curtis, depicting Native Americans in their ancestral states. He spent nearly 30 years traveling around the United States and finding tribes to photograph. The exhibit, which showcases nearly 100 of these photographs, is titled “The Vanishing Race.”
The process of bringing these unique and century-old photographs to Claremont was a strenuous one. The preparation included first securing the exhibition space. The exhibit will be on view not only for this year, but also for the next two years in this Core I cycle.
Student workers prepped the photos, and professionals were required to come in and install the exhibition. Professor Ken Gonzales-Day, the Special Collections staff at Honnold/Mudd, as well as many others helped bring this interesting exhibit to Claremont.
With the subject matter of Core, regarding violence, it is hard to ignore the structural and symbolic violence that these pictures encapsulate. These images are frequently looked upon as photographs re-victimizing the victim. The disparity in power between the Native Americans and Edward Curtis was undoubtedly present during the time; however, the beauty that these images capture doesn’t necessarily need to be overlooked. “The fact that the images continue to be valued in so many American Indian communities suggests that one should not be too quick to discard [this] project,” said Gonzales-Day.
The gallery filled with sepia-toned pictures showcases many portraits and some “action” shots of Native Americans, many of which Curtis staged himself. He paid his models to don their traditional outfits and pose for a picture. Not only that, but he brought along with him various props that he would give to the Native Americans to put on.
Most notably, Curtis would take blankets on his travels and ask his models to wrap it around themselves. One of the most striking images is titled “Waihusiwa, A Zuni Kyaqimassi.” It displays a man named Kyaqimassi with a blanket wrapped his body as well as the bottom of his face. His mouth is completely concealed, as if indicating the audience his voice has been taken away from him.
Along with several other photographs with natives wearing blankets, Edward Curtis also captured the tribes clothed in their traditional garments. Another stunning image titled “Oasis in the Badlands” depicts a native man seemingly dressed in traditional clothing, on a horse in the plain lands under a stormy sky.
Perhaps the most powerful image is “Vanishing Race-Navaho.” It pictures Native Americans on the backs of horses with packs, riding off into the distance. It symbolizes their being driven off their land and forced into an unknown future.
No matter if you feel the images re-victimize the victims or simply capture a culture that was unjustly targeted, it is a great opportunity to go check out “The Vanishing Race” exhibit. It is important that we study these acts of violence in the past, and consider the impacts violence had on these people.
The exhibition is ongoing until December 6th, 2013 on the second floor of the Honnold Library.

HEARTBLEED VIRUS AFFECTS INTERNET USER AUDIENCE

November 28, 2014 Kara Odum

This past month, researchers publicly announced a major security flaw that affects over 66 percent of the internet. The bug, commonly referred to as the Heartbleed bug, is potentially devastating because it could affect nearly any website using one particular method of encryption, including websites that are usually deemed secure, like Yahoo!. This security flaw stems from a problem with the widely-used OpenSSL method of data encryption.
The problem with OpenSSL is that it contains a heartbeat option, which means that while a person is on a website that encrypts data by OpenSSL, her computer sends messages to the server and the server responds to indicate that both are connected. To take advantage of this arrangement, the Heartbleed bug allows hackers to send fake messages to the server. In response, the server sends back information stored in its RAM, which can include sensitive information like passwords, credit card numbers, et cetera. RAM stands for “random access memory,” which is the main working memory in a computer targeted by hackers with this security flaw to divulge private information.
OpenSSL is a free set of encryption tools managed by four European programmers and the open source community, meaning anyone can submit code to improve it or customize it for their own website. The SSL stands for “secure sockets layer,” which causes a lock to appear with the Web address when used by a website. About two years ago, a software developer contributed code with a basic programming mistake that could be exploited, resulting in the Heartbleed bug.
What is so shocking about this is that it was entirely preventable but, due to a lack of resource allocation to auditing the code, researchers and users didn’t notice the bug for years. While it makes financial sense for many businesses to use open source software since it is fairly reliable and cheap, users have to be responsible for the security of their applications. The problem with security flaws is that they don’t appear naturally during the use of the code; instead, they appear only when someone is looking for them by testing the software or actively looking for weaknesses. This work comes down to two interested groups: security professionals and malicious hackers. Security researchers work to find these kinds of bugs first and come up with solutions before they can be exploited by the less virtuous. However, if hackers find these flaws first then they could have access to passwords and other private information indefinitely.
In the past few weeks, firms have been responding to this security flaw by testing their websites and updating security features. Large banks’ websites have been run through a Heartbleed bug “checker” and the following have declared that they are not vulnerable: Bank of America, Capital One, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, US Bancorp, Wells Fargo, and PNC Financial Services Group. Major websites like Google and Yahoo! have installed patches to correct for their vulnerability but security experts suggest changing all of your passwords to be safe. Major institutions such as the Defense Department and Department of Homeland Security use OpenSSL but have reported zero attacks as a result of the bug. YouTube and Amazon were also affected but both have fixed any issues users might have with the Heartbleed bug. Bloomberg has reported that the NSA has known about this flaw since 2012, which would mean the spy agency could have had access to passwords, emails, and other vulnerable data. However, an NSA spokesperson denied awareness in an interview with TIME of Heartbleed saying, “reports that say otherwise are wrong.”

SHORT-TERM INTEREST RATES ON THE RISE?

November 28, 2014 Kara Odum

Janet Yellen, the first woman to be Chair of the Federal Reserve, had the markets moving last week after the latest announcement on the Fed’s plan for market recovery. The Federal Reserve Bank, commonly called the Fed, recently announced some future changes to its monetary policy that will have a large effect on markets and the economic recovery throughout the year. The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), whose members vote on economic policy issues, recently met on March 19th to discuss bond purchases and raising interest rates. Since 2008, The FOMC has been buying Treasury bonds to lower long-term interest rates to help support the economy in addition to its usual methods of controlling short-term interest rates.

However, that might soon change since the Fed announced that it would reduce its monthly bond purchases to $55 billion and will plan to gradually raise short-term interest rates. FOMC member Charles Plosser, current president of the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank, added that he expects the Fed’s bond-buying program to end by November and for short-term rates to rise to 3 percent by the end of 2015. Janet Yellen, the Fed Chairwoman, was less optimistic about the rebounding economy and plans to keep short-term interest rates down until after the bond-buying program ends and inflation picks up.

The market reacted to this news by sending stock and gold prices down and sharply increasing the yields on bonds. Despite Janet Yellen’s assurances of a smooth and timely transition, investors took away that the Fed is planning on higher interest rates sooner than expected. When interest rates go up, more people are willing to lend money because they can expect a higher return on the coupon payments, which is the interest payment on the bond. Typically, bonds and stock prices work like a see-saw, when bond prices go up stock prices go down. This happens because people invest in stocks when the market is booming so the return on a stock investment is more than the interest earned on holding a bond. However, in a downturn, bonds are seen as safe since they usually don’t crash like stock prices can and investors can depend on the steady interest payments.

Not all are fans of the proposed higher interest rates, fearing that the Fed may move faster than originally planned. The National Association of Business Economists (NABE) issued a survey that reveals economists think rising interest rates could hurt the economy’s recovery. The Fed is between a rock and a hard place since raising interest rates too fast risks destabilizing the slowly recovering economy but not moving fast enough might allow the economy to bounce back too quickly. For now, everyone just has to wait and see before the next move can be made.

HIGH FREQUENCY TRADING: GOOD OR BAD?

November 28, 2014 Kara Odum

Michael Lewis’ new book “Flash Boys” explores the world of high frequency trading, a new trading method that is changing the stock market landscape. His book has sparked much debate among investors with the ultimate question being: Is High frequency trading good or bad?
High frequency trading (HTF) is a trading platform that uses algorithms to determine trades and powerful computers to carry out large orders at ridiculously fast speeds. These algorithms analyze data from multiple markets and execute orders based on a strategy of edging out a profit of a fraction of a cent per share. This approach has become more popular as connection speeds have amped up: stock exchanges can now execute trades in less than a half of a millionth of a second, such that as of 2009 it is estimated that more than 50% of exchange volume comes from high-frequency trading orders.
The market collapse in 2008 paved the way for a wider acceptance of HFT, since liquidity was such a major concern for investors during the chaos that followed the collapse of Lehman Brothers. Liquidity is how quickly one form of an asset can be changed into another or in the stock market, how soon you can buy or sell a stock. Exchanges started offering incentives for companies to add liquidity to the market, precisely what HFT does best. The New York Stock Exchange has its own system to provide liquidity and increase competition in the market; these providers are called supplemental liquidity providers (SLPs). While the rebate for providing liquidity is negligible for the average trader, $.0015 per share, HFT firms make a profit from this rule since they make millions of transactions a day. Their main strategy relies on being able to execute trades first to take advantage of slight price discrepancies. By buying a stock first, they can turn around and sell it seconds later for a slightly higher price, and when this is done frequently enough, HFT firms make bank.
Some issues with this new approach to the stock market include regulatory concerns and market stability. The SEC has not been able to effectively monitor or regulate today’s market since the extent of this trading strategy and its effects have only recently come to light. However, the SEC is planning a campaign to tighten regulations on this aspect of the financial industry but as of now, the SEC has not addressed HFT firms directly. Concerns about market stability were raised after the “flash crash” in 2010 when the market plunged by 10% only to recover in minutes. Nearly one trillion dollars in value was wiped out momentarily before the market bounced back up. It was later found that a single massive sell order from an algorithm belonging to a Kansas firm was responsible for a domino like series of events that sent the market into a temporary panic. Another example of HFT gone bad was when Knight Capital, a midsize financial firm, had a program go rogue when it was supposed to be deactivated. This program continued to place trade orders for 45 minutes before it could be deactivated, costing the company about $10 million per minute. If something like this were to happen to a firm that was considered to be too big to fail, the market could be wrecked and the company might have to be bailed out by the government.
Supporters of HFT insist that it contributes a service to the market and that it isn’t so different from what other investors do. HFT does add a lot of liquidity to the market, which may help prevent a lock up of assets in the stock market. The amount of trading and strategies used by these firms add competition to the market, which could drive down the price of stocks and more efficiently allocate capital. Also, since most trades are carried out by algorithms, human vulnerability is removed, which may help to prevent market drops due to fear. HFT helps investors cut transaction costs by adding infrastructure to the stock market and opening up networks between the different exchanges. Only time will tell whether or not HFT will be here to stay or will be wiped out by regulatory rulings and intense competition.

WHY ABORTION CLINIC BUFFER ZONES ARE IMPORTANT

November 28, 2014 Kara Odum

In McCullen v. Martha Coakley, the Supreme Court takes on the issue of Massachusetts’ buffer zone laws around abortion clinics, and whether such buffer zones restrict protesters’ First Amendment rights. While a ruling hasn’t been handed down yet, the decision promises to affect the landscape of women’s rights.
Eleanor McCullen, the petitioner, is an anti-choice protestor who feels that her First Amendment rights have been violated since her message cannot be effectively delivered due to the enforced 35-foot buffer zone around clinics. Officially, she is suing Martha Coakley, attorney general for Massachusetts.
The precedent for such buffer zones came from a previous Supreme Court ruling a decade ago in a Colorado case which upheld the legality of eight-foot “floating” buffer zones around patients and staff entering clinics.
The petitioner’s lawyer, Mark Rienzi, and Justice Scalia insist the protestors are there to counsel and hold “consensual conversations” with patients. However, those “consensual” conversations are usually anything but that. Protestors in New York have displayed posters of supposedly aborted fetuses, shouting “baby killer,” and surrounding patients so that they couldn’t enter the clinic. Even the Massachusetts police testified that prior to the buffer zone law, they couldn’t tell who was who in the chaos after a gunman shot two Planned Parenthood staff members in 1994. Since 1995, there have been over 4,700 incidents of clinic violence and 140 clinic blockades, none of which can be categorized as “consensual conversation.”
The concept of buffer zones is not limited to clinics but has been extended to other controversial places. Deputy Solicitor General Ian H. Gershengorn noted that “there are buffer zones around political conventions, around circuses, around funerals” and that smaller buffer zones have been in place before with little effect. Polling places have a 150-foot buffer zone that protestors and those handing out literature have to respect. Ironically, Marty Walz points out that the US Supreme Court has its own buffer zone, which bans all demonstrations and picketing on its plaza, forcing protestors to the adjacent public sidewalk.
This debate is taking place within the larger context of the fight for reproductive justice, which is defined by Protect Choice as “the complete physical, mental, spiritual, political, social, and economic well-being of women and girls, based on the full achievement and protection of women’s human rights.”
Recently many anti-choice efforts have been gaining ground with support from conservative policy makers such as Virginia Senator Steve Martin, who responded to a note from pro-choice supporters with the following: “I don’t expect to be in the room or will I do anything to prevent you from obtaining a contraceptive.
However, once a child does exist in your womb, I’m not going to assume a right to kill it just because the child’s host (some refer to them as mothers) doesn’t want it.”
As women continue to be dehumanized and denied access to reproductive healthcare, the result is more rigid restrictions on bodily autonomy and sustained attacks on women’s self-determination. Hopefully, the Supreme Court will uphold the provisions necessary to ensure adequate health care access to everyone.
N.B.: According to protectchoice.org, the term “anti-choice” is defined as “a political position that opposes a woman’s right to choose to continue or terminate a pregnancy and to obtain safe and legal abortion services.”

WHAT THE 2013 NOBEL PRIZE WINNERS IN ECONOMICS HAVE TO TELL US

November 28, 2014 Kara Odum

Recently, the Nobel Prize for Economics was awarded to Eugene Fama, Lars Hansen, and Robert Shiller. All three are Americans; Fama and Hansen are from the University of Chicago and Shiller from Yale. Their work and research has focused on the pricing of assets such as stock, bonds, and houses. Fama is best known for his research supporting the “efficient markets hypothesis,” which states that markets are good at incorporating all known information about the valuation of an asset. Shiller, on the other hand, is a proponent of applying human psychology to explain pricing from a behavioral economics angle. The award represents the joining of these two opposing theories to better explain market movements.
The debate between rational and irrational economic models is a very pertinent debate in the fallout of the 2008 recession and market crash, especially because neither seems to have the answer for everything. I think there is a lot of room for growth in the syndication of these two fields of study, drawing on the strengths of each to better model world markets.
For example, in the book “The Big Short” by Michael Lewis, he looks at the causes of the financial crisis in 2008 from both sides of the mortgage backed bonds market. This particular point in economic history is interesting because it deals with many people who were behaving rationally, people who thought they were behaving rationally, and people who were acting completely irrationally.
Those who were behaving rationally noticed that the market was behaving outside the norm and that there were as opportunity to make a lot of money by betting against the market. These people were using classic economic and financial techniques to identify trends in the market, such as fundamental analysis, quantitative analysis, and valuation modeling. The people who thought they were behaving rationally but weren’t were the people who created, packaged, and sold the worthless bond packages without really looking at them. They were trying to use quantitative methods but defaulted to emotions when the models weren’t working.
A good example of this is the Black Scholes equation, which is used to price assets and quantify risk, because it was used incorrectly. During the period before the crisis, the market was behaving outside the bounds and not following the assumptions so when the equation was applied, it was applied incorrectly. However, the equation has been popular for about 30 to 40 years, so while it may have been rooted in quantitative methods, it still has to be evaluated and not taken on blind faith. Trouble happens when people think they are behaving rationally but are in fact just acting on emotions. This mix of people is why a balance of rational and irrational economics is called for with current economic issues.

DECISION TIME FOR UKRAINE

November 28, 2014 Elena Pinsker

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 benefiting the rich and
powerful. Protesters 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 antiprotest
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.

EMERGING MARKETS AND CURRENCY DEVALUATION

November 28, 2014 Kara Odum

Economies worldwide have been struggling to recover after the 2008 financial crisis, with many still dealing with repercussions over six years later. Emerging markets have been hit especially hard, and are now resorting to rash economic maneuvers to maintain the minimal gains they have made over the past year. Several countries, including India, Turkey, Russia, Vietnam, and South Africa, have been resisting a decline in exports by artificially deflating their currency. Currency devaluation is when a country enacts “a deliberate downward adjustment to the value of a country’s currency, relative to another currency,” which in this case is the US dollar or euro (Investopedia). Unlike currency depreciation, devaluation is a monetary policy tool used by countries with a fixed exchange rate to combat trade imbalances and difference in imports and exports. Monetary policy is enacted by central banks to control the money supply and set policy affecting imports and exports. When an individual country devalues its currency, that country’s exports become cheaper while imports become more expensive; this has the effect of boosting the local economy by promoting consumption of domestic goods. However, there are several drawbacks to devaluation, which include the risk of declining foreign investments, rising inflation, and disabling the import of necessary commodities.
Foreign investors look for currency appreciation in emerging markets; however, with wide spread currency devaluation, capital will be allocated less efficiently. Also, with the cost of imports rising, domestic markets will become less efficient due to a decrease in competition. Higher import costs will also create problems for countries that are not self-sufficient and rely upon imports of necessary commodities such as fuel and food.
With rapidly increasing prices, the central banks will have to subsidize imports in order to get necessary supplies to citizens, but some governments only have the funds to carry this out for a few months before they either have to change policy or the World Bank will have to step in. The lower cost of exports also has its price since an increase in demand for domestic goods will lead to inflation currently shown by Vietnam, which is experiencing a 1-month high for inflation.
While this strategy might work temporarily for one country, this simultaneous devaluation will ultimately fail to have a lasting impact. As more and more countries devalue their currencies, more goods are exported at lower costs, which increases global competition. After a while all of the participating countries are back where they started after losing the competitive edge gained by devaluation. This is a classic game theory conundrum: it is in each country’s best interest to devalue their currency, since they will enjoy temporary gains and will miss out if they don’t. But eventually, the benefits will cease. The strategy will ultimately lead to a state where the countries will suffer from inflation, inability to import necessary goods, and decrease foreign long-term investment.

15% INCREASE IN APPLICATIONS TO SCRIPPS COLLEGE

November 28, 2014 Julia Thomas

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% 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 grow thin 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.”

SCRIPPS POETRY CLASS HOSTS OPEN MIC AT POMONA COLLEGE AMPHITHEATER

November 28, 2014 Jessica Lin

On Thursday, May 8, a group of students from the Scripps Poetry Writing Workshop class will host a free open mic night at the Pomona Greek Amphitheater, located at the Pomona College Farm. The event will include live music, poetry readings, and other forms of entertainment. Free dinner will be served, with tentative plans for a menu including pasta, salad, appetizers, fresh fruit, drinks, and snacks. Everyone is invited to perform and sit back and enjoy the show.
Student musicians outside the poetry class have been invited to participate in the event, with one student host considering the incorporation of music in his poetry reading. The class also hopes to provide a variety of instruments for its audience to play around with, either on stage or during the show’s intermission. Members of the audience are invited to bring their own instruments to share with the community for the night.
Having begun planning over a month and a half ago, the group purposely chosen a date during reading days so students can attend without worrying about missing class. In a similar mindset, the hosts encourage those who are reticent about sharing their work to accept their offer to act as proxy performers. That being said, they encourage everyone to recognize the event as a free space, a place for freedom of expression.
The party’s hosts plan to share their original work, poems written to fulfill assignments as well as those penned outside of class. Funded by the Scripps’ English department, the show will be hosted small class of eight: Lucas Ayenew PZ ‘17, Nick Zmijeski PZ ‘17, Alexa Campbell PZ ‘15, Marissa Dorit, Sean Fentress PZ ‘16, Neeka Salmasi PZ ‘16, Maile Blume SC ‘17, and Jessica Lin SC ‘16.
Although still in the midst of preparation, the group is hoping to craft handmade, surprise gifts for those who attend the event. So make sure to come out and support your friends. It’s sure to be a show you won’t want to miss.

OFF-CAMPUS PLACES TO HANG OUT SANS CAR OR TRANSPORTATION

November 28, 2014 Jessica Lin

At a relatively small school like the 5Cs, it’s not surprising when students start looking for places to hang out off-campus. Those who own cars often frequent the beach, Los Angeles, and even San Francisco— some seven or eight hours away. But without a car, many find themselves limited to the same restaurants and stores in the Claremont Village.
Fortunately, Claremont houses its share of secret gems. In this article, I will cover three events or places relevant to this month, with plans for a follow-up in the subsequent, and final issue, of The Scripps Voice. Email us at with suggestions and ideas.

1) The Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden: Located across the street from the 5Cs, the botanic garden offers free admission every first Sunday of the month, September through June. The rest of the year, students can pay a discounted price of $6 for a one-day pass. I’ve enjoyed going alone, as well as with friends or family. I usually bring fruit, trail mix, or some other snack to munch on while I walk around — and water, of course. This is a great choice if you enjoy nature or just need some peace and quiet.
Although minimal, the botanic garden does present a number of downsides. First, it’s only open regular business hours (8 a.m. - 5 p.m.), which doesn’t allow for nighttime plans.
(Occasionally, the gardens host nightly events.) Second, the garden charges an admittance fee, which may deter some visitors. Last, it’s easy to get lost in the gardens. This sounds silly, but will make sense if you visit and try to make it back to your car before the gate closes at 5 p.m.

2) Open Mic Night at the Folk Music Center: Guests are invited to perform for up to five minutes or watch the show for a $2 entrance fee. Shows are held every last Sunday of the month; sign-ups begin at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 6:30 p.m. I recommend eating dinner beforehand, as the intermission does not provide ample time to chow down. Because this event is limited in seating, it’s best for small groups. The event is generally family-friendly, and often includes people from within the Claremont community, with visitors from surrounding cities. You can buy professional recordings of every performance at the store a few weeks after the show. Personally, I’ve been disappointed to find these offered as DVDs, rather than as CDs, as the former are not compatible with my car nor my laptop.
Like any open mic event, the line-up varies every single time. This means you may have to sit through performances you don’t quite enjoy. Luckily, each performance is only five minutes long, max. As well, you might see other Claremont people you know, either from school or within the community. Whether or not this is pleasurable may depend on the person. And as a final note... This might just be me, but the seats seem extremely uncomfortable: cold and hard. I really should bring my own chair.

3) Art Mart and First Friday ArtWalk: Both Art Mart and Friday ArtWalk take place every Friday evening from 5 p.m. - 9 p.m. in the Packing House. For those unfamiliar, the Packing House lives next door to 21 Choices, and houses Eureka! Burger and ZPizza, to name a few. Vendors set up their tables inside the Packing House, down the middle of the downstairs walkway. Even so, there’s plenty of room to meander around and the place is generally not too crowded. The atmosphere feels casual, yet animated — loud enough, but not too noisy. The event can be fun on one’s own or with a group of friends. The main difference between these two events lies in the fact that the ArtWalk occurs only monthly, and features live music and tends to draw a larger crowd.
For those who have been to either the Art Mart or the First Friday ArtWalk, you already know that the events run quite similarly, and often exhibit the same vendors. In addition, the place tends to draw older adults out on date-night or family night. Wine and cheese make their appearance every time, so take advantage of that if you’re over 21. After a few visits, the excitement wears off. I recommend spacing your visits with several months in between, for the best chance of finding new vendors and products for sale. Enjoy!

5C SUBSTANCE-FREE EVENTS: DANCE

November 28, 2014 Jessica Lin

Parties make up a major part of the “typical” college life, and the 5Cs are no exception. But for every party, there is also an awesome substance free (sub-free) event on the very same night. More low-key events, however, tend not to be as well advertised. As a result, people can miss out on some of the most interesting and entertaining parties on campus.
One common reason people skip out on these large party “alternatives” may have to do with a question about what the events actually entail. So, this semester, I’ll be writing about my personal experience with sub-free gatherings. This week will focus on dance: salsa, swing, and annual events such as Masquerade and Black and White Ball. Though I can’t offer insight into underground blues at this time, I’ve heard positive reviews on it thus far and hope to cover the scene sometime in the future.
At every dance, student instructors teach one-hour beginner and intermediate lessons. No worries if you don’t have a dance partner! You can show up on your own, as partners rotate throughout the lesson. This gives people a chance to meet new faces as well as get a feel for different dancing styles. In the case that someone tries too complicated a twist or turn, it’s fine to remind your partner you’re a beginner and would like to stick to the basics.
Many people, including myself, tend to ask: Should I lead or follow? Is the lead’s part more difficult? I’ve asked more experienced dancers this question, and usually get the same answer: The lead’s role is not necessarily more difficult; it just depends on the move. In some cases, the follow will employ a more complicated technique. Other times, the opposite is true. Regardless of whether you choose to dance the part of a lead or follow, I encourage you to approach someone with a friendly smile and ask for a dance.
1) Swing Dance
Attire: casual
Crowd: 20+ people
Vibe: laid-back, more mellow
Swing dancing is my personal favorite, especially when it comes to West Coast Swing. The other two types of swing offered at the 5Cs include the Lindy Hop and East Coast Swing. After the lesson, the floor opens up for free dancing, and all styles of swing music are played.
Thoughts to consider: Sometimes people don’t show up and it can be awkward to dance with everyone over and over again. But it’s generally not a big deal for most people. Also, the location changes frequently, but this is inevitable, given that other groups want to book the same spots. Showing up to dance can seem intimidating at first, but if you go with a good attitude and some humility, it will be fun. Check out this group on Facebook: Claremont Colleges Swing.
2) Salsa Dance
Attire: fancier than swing, but still casual
Crowd: varies, 40+ people
Vibe: energetic, louder
Salsa seems to be especially popular, from what I’ve seen. Of course, the number of people who show up depends on the specific weekend. For example, Halloween night can be pretty empty, since many students choose to go to Harwood instead. In general, however, the crowd tends to be larger than the one at swing. This can be great for those who want to meet more people at a time, and contrarily, less appropriate for those who prefer a smaller and more intimate setting. Just like swing, salsa provides two free lessons. The dance itself tends to be faster-paced, although the steps themselves do not particularly pose a more complicated challenge. Some dances may be rated at a higher difficulty level, but the individual may have to find out whether or not this is true for their own person.
Note: Salsa comes off as somewhat intimidating at times, and the environment is not exactly what I would call approachable. While still varying, the location changes less frequently than swing does. The event usually takes place at Platt, which is across from Mudd’s dining hall and in the same row of buildings as Jay’s Place/the Mudd Hole. Most dances take place on Friday nights, from 8 P.M.- midnight. Check out the Facebook group: Salsa Addicts at the Claremont Colleges.
3) Special Events
Attire: usually semi-formal
Crowd: 200
Vibe: elegant, high volume
At first glance, special events appear similar to American high school dances such as homecoming or prom. But they’re actually ten times better: you don’t have to worry about paying for a pricey ticket or renting a limo for the night. Nevertheless, it’s a great excuse (as if you needed one) to dress up for the night, whether you choose something from your closet or borrow from a friend. For those who prefer more casual attire, the Disney-themed party this March may be perfect for your taste! While further details have yet to be released, I, for one, will be dressing up in costume and looking forward to a Disney soundtrack. This event is set to take place at Edmunds Ballroom, across from the SCC mailroom, on the Pomona College campus. It only shows up once a year, so be sure not to miss out! Although dressing up is not required, most people choose to do so since the theme adds to the overall fun. But whatever you wear, people will be courteous and welcoming. On another note, big annual parties incorporate all types of dance, including those not usually offered during the weekly practices. By my record, these have been the waltz, bachata, and tango so far. I absolutely loved learning how to tango, but I will admit it may be harder for a beginner like myself to keep up when one hasn’t had a chance to practice throughout the semester. If you’re shy or apprehensive, drop by after the lesson when other dances show up in the DJ’s playlist. You can stay up to date on the latest party by joining the Facebook event Disney Dance Party.

SCRIPPS VOICE REVIEW: SAS HOLDS FIRST BEHEARD FORUM

November 28, 2014 Jessica Lin

The first SAS BeHeard Forum, which is held in the Student Union at 8:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of every month, as well as for special events, took place on Tuesday, Sept. 9. Students from a mix of grade levels were present, several of whom represented groups such as the Asian American Student Union (AASU) and Career Planning & Resources (CP&R). Below are the issues that were discussed over the course of the hour.

Clarification on Departments and Positions: Students requested that SAS provide detailed information about the functions of different departments on campus.
Communicating with SAS: One student asked how students should utilize SAS’ resources. SAS members replied that their purpose is to bridge the gap between students and administrators. Students were encouraged to visit the SAS website or Facebook page.
Students were also invited to visit during office hours so that SAS President Alex Frumkin can bring students’ concerns to the Board of Trustees. Those who wish to remain anonymous can use the comment box on the SAS website.

Faculty Changes: Changes to the faculty, especially in terms of leaving professors, have students alarmed in terms of their own academic careers. In one case, a professor dropped a Core class without warning, causing the need for first-year students to rearrange their schedules. (SAS stated that it regrets that it cannot publicly discuss specific reasons behind the matter; however, Vice President Sarah Chung directed students to talk to Dean of Faculty Amy Marcus Newhall.)

LASPA: Students wondered how the LASPA Center for Leadership has been progressing and how students can become more involved. Lofty goals have been established, but students have not yet heard about how LASPA will directly benefit students and the rest of the Scripps community. SAS replied that it similarly has not heard anything since last semester.
Fundraising: $92 million of the $175 million goal has been raised thus far in three separate forms: estates, pledges and cash. Scripps continues to seek a donor willing to contribute at least half of the necessary funds for a new dorm, after which the new dorm will be named.
Overcrowding Solutions and the New Dorm: Due to growing first-year crowds and last year’s complaints, President Bettison-Varga and staff are reassessing which rooms are suitable for doubles or triples. One problem lies in the fact that Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Hall (GJW) rooms cannot be converted from their original designations, due to a contract with the donor. SAS reports that the new dorm will offer 82 beds and cost $20 million rather than the originally proposed $18 million.

A finished blueprint must be done by October if the dorm is to be completed by Fall 2016.
Coffee with the Dean: SAS will look into asking the dean to offer varying time slots for “Coffee with the Dean,” an office hours of sorts in the Motley, as many students who wished to attend in the past missed out on the opportunity due to class or lab priorities.
Ventfull App: This app will be available on Android for a while, but students who have iPhones are encouraged to download this app to stay up-to-date with 5C happenings.
Transparency: SAS encouraged students to take the surveys that are offered — and to answer them honestly — as too many surveys are ignored. The reports and results of surveys throughout the year will be made available on the website. Students requested that they be told the sample size of surveys, as having this information could motivate them.

ONE PRISION, LOTS OF SENTENCES

November 28, 2014 Caroline Nelson

Well, here we are at the end of the first season of “Orange is the New Black,” a show that came out of the gate with a lot of energy and ambition and finished strong. I’ve got high hopes for the next set of installments coming out some time in 2014, though in an interesting move, Laura Prepon, the actress who plays Alex Vause, will be leaving the show after four episodes, which, considering the length of Alex’s sentence, doesn’t bode well for her character or her relationship with Piper. This will be disappointing to those who prefer that couple but gratifying to those who like Piper and her fiancé Larry — oh wait, that’s no one. Larry is the kind of person you wouldn’t necessarily mind if he came to your house party in real life; he has the all too rare self-awareness to admit that he’s boring. But getting to know him too well, as one does in this show, helps make him tiresome. We don’t care about your masturbation experience, Larry.
Possibly he is there to provide an identifiable male presence for any men who might wish to watch the show, since the prison guards mainly run the gamut from questionable through shades of douchebag to downright evil.
Whereas Larry started out as the decent (if slightly jerky), boring fiancée, Piper has managed to become less of a hole in the middle of the show. Possibly this is due to her dialogue subtly shifting from lines out of Stuff White People Like to the conversation of the annoying yet endearing class know-it-all. A good example of this would be her unwanted explanation of a Robert Frost poem, which ended in two of her compatriots vowing to kill her eventually and making it sound like an endearment. Possibly this is due to her relationship with Alex.
Or possibly it’s the introduction of antagonists decidedly less sympathetic then she. Though a couple of commentators have expressed distaste for Piper’s nemesis Tiffany “Pensatucky” Doggett, I was impressed by the way that “Orange”’s writers were able to take a character who its target audience would naturally despise (a former meth head, pro life, homophobic evangelist) and making her human. One of my favorite scenes features Pornstache (with all the tact and grace you’d expect from someone named Pornstache) telling her “You must know that God wouldn’t choose someone as fucking stupid as you to be his emissary,” and from the look on her face its clear that somewhere in her heart she does know this and tries doubly hard to proclaim herself as his representative.
I would like to end this by pointing out one of my favorite things about this show. The group dynamic in many shows seems to divide along three lines: The Family, where the main characters are part of a group or a team and endlessly remind the audience that they are “family,” which can be heartwarming but is often tiresome; The Mafia, where the main characters allegedly form a unit and frequently murder each other; and The Water Cooler, where the characters are all interacting but don’t seem to like each other. “Orange is the New Black” occupies a refreshingly different space where none of the characters want to be there and they are deeply divided against each other, but form alliances and friendships and, in the end, a kind of community in a way that is a refreshing combination of honest but, at the same time, hopeful.

A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO STAR TREK

November 28, 2014 Caroline Nelson

Maybe you’ve got a friend who’s a Trekkie, maybe you’ve run across some fun stuff on Tumblr, or maybe, like me, you saw the most recent film last summer and it made you want to see those characters in something that wasn’t a slapped together piece of crap. Whatever the reason you’re interested in watching “Star Trek” for the first time. But this is a more daunting task than it may seem, “Star Trek” has been on and off the air since the 1960’s, with each spinoff getting less comprehensible to the casual viewer. Where do you begin? Do you watch the shows or the movies? What should you watch and what should you skip? Hopefully I can answer some of those questions for you.
First of all what is “Star Trek”? “Star Trek” refers to the six television shows and twelve movies which all take place within the Star Trek Universe. These all trace their heritage to the original “Star Trek” series created by Gene Roddenberry back in the sixties, to which we shall now turn our attention:
“Star Trek: The Original Series” (TOS) AKA The One With Kirk and Spock
“The Original Series” was very much of its time, and I don’t just mean that all the women wore miniskirts and go-go boots. This series is campy, allegorical, and overwhelmingly optimistic. One of the great things about the show’s general lack of logic and consistency and its love of cobbling together sets out of anything it could find was that it was a show where anything could happen. The premise of the show is that two hundred years from now, in a utopian future free from poverty, war, and racism, the U.S.S. Enterprise and her crew go roving around the galaxy looking for new life forms to say hello to and ask them if they want to join the United Federation of Planets. A product of the Space Age and the Great Society, this show was partially created as a fun way to play around with genre, but also as a way of discussing social and political issues using the science fiction setting as a safe space to address issues that Roddenberry couldn’t have brought up in a realist work. The first interracial kiss in television history took place on an episode of “Star Trek” and this series was groundbreaking for showing a racially integrated future with non-stereotyped characters of color playing major roles. According to George Takei, Roddenberry would have liked to have a gay character on the show but that just wasn’t going to happen, so he had to make due with Kirk and Spock. While the blatant homoeroticism of the two’s relationship created slash fiction, just about every other thing associated with the phenomenon we now know as fandom can be traced back to the original “Star Trek.”
Best Episodes (you don’t have to watch these in any particular order, this series has little to no continuity): The Space Seed, The Naked Time, The Trouble With Tribbles, A Piece of the Action, The Devil In the Dark, The Corbomite Maneuver, Mirror, Mirror, The City on the Edge of Forever, The Journey to Babel, The Doomsday Machine, The Balance of Terror, The Immunity Syndrome, Specter of the Gun, This Side of Paradise, and Amok Time
IN SPACE!!! This show was originally pitched as “Wagon Train to the Stars” so let’s say “Gunsmoke” or “Bonanza” in space.
If you like…
• Subject: Anthropology
• Genre: Western/Sword and Sandals Epic
“Star Trek: The Animated Series” (TAS)
AKA The Cartoon One
After “The Original Series” got cancelled they made further adventures with the original crew of the Enterprise. This series sucks. There’s nothing else to say. The animation is cheap, despite the fact that the episodes are twenty minutes long they drag, and the actors aren’t suited to do voice talent.
Episodes that aren’t completely awful: Yesteryear is actually good and Mudd’s Passion is kind of funny.
If you like…
•   Subject: Sucking
•   Genre: Stuff you watch when you’re stoned/drunk/bored out of your mind
“Star Trek: The Next Generation” (TNG)
AKA The One that Started the Kirk vs. Picard Fights
This series is proof that spin offs, sequels, and reboots don’t have to suck. After the success of the “Star Trek” movies in the eighties the series was brought back to the small screen with a new cast of characters. Whether or not this iteration is better or worse than the previous show is a matter of some debate, but fans of the series tend to like both. When people think of “Star Trek,” they either think of “The Original Series” or this show. Though still fun and hopeful, “The Next Generation” is more restrained serious. It also started to make use of subplots and story arcs and had ongoing character development. It introduced new and important aliens like the Borg, a terrifying race of robotic zombies and further developed groups like the Klingons who used to just serve as the bad guys. This show also introduced the coolest piece of technology never invented: the holodeck, a room that projects holograms of whatever you want, allowing you to virtually go anywhere you want.
Best Episodes (You should probably go season by season on these): The Best of Both Worlds, The Inner Light, Measure of a Man, Chain of Command, The Offspring, Darmok, Tapestry, Q pid, Yesterday’s Enterprise, Frame of Mind, The Big Goodbye, Unification, The Defector, Cause and Effect, Family, Relics
IN SPACE!!! “Horatio Hornblower” in Space and, in more laid back episodes, “The Office”in Space.If you like…
•   Subject: English
•   Genre: Adventure/Office Dramedy
“Star Trek: Deep Space Nine”
(AKA The One That’s Super Serial You Guys )
After “The Next Generation,” the next three shows were pretty divisive. “Deep Space Nine” has its own particular fan group, known as “Niners,” who like the series and its dark tone better than the cheery optimism of most of “Trek,” and there are Trekkies who think “Deep Space Nine” is a lame knockoff of “Battlestar Galactica” which takes itself too seriously. This show is the first to have a captain of color and the first to have a premise that didn’t revolve around space exploration. Basically Captain Sisko is in charge of a space station located above a wormhole. He must deal with whatever comes through the wormhole in addition to dealing with various alien groups that have long and nasty histories together and don’t get along.
Best Episodes: In the Pale Moonlight, Take Me Out to the Holosuite, Trials and Tribble-ations, Duet, Far Beyond the Stars, The Visitor, The Wire, Hard Time, The Die Is Cast, You Are Cordially Invited
IN SPACE!!! “Fort Apache” in Space
If you like…
•   Subject: Politics
•   Genre: Procedural/Political Thriller
“Star Trek Voyager” AKA The One With The Lady Captain
“Voyager” is also split between those who love its premise and protagonists and sexist guys who can’t stand Captain Janeway. I realize this isn’t exactly fair but the studio did get death threats for putting a woman in charge of the ship and Janeway attracts some of the most virulent hate of any captain. She also has a strong fanbase and I have noticed that there’s a gendered pattern to this. Women tend to like her, and her critics tend to be male and either claim that they just don’t agree with her command decisions, or blatant misogynists like the Star Trek commentator SFDebris. Putting the issue of gender aside, “Voyager” tells the story of the titular ship that is swept thousands of lightyears away from earth on a routine mission and their struggle to get back home. Like “Deep Space Nine,” it is a darker iteration of “Star Trek” but still plenty of fun and features lots of great characters.
Best Episodes: Bride of Chaotica, Message in a Bottle, Eye of the Needle, Tinker, Tenor, Doctor, Spy, The Killing Game, Heroes and Demons, Author, Author, The Scorpion, A Year In Hell, Dark Frontier, The Thaw, Timeless, Living Witness, Blink of an Eye
IN SPACE!!! “The Odyssey” in Space
If you like…
•   Subject: Women’s Studies
•   Ge http://fanart.tv/fanart/tv/73566/clearart/StarTrekTheAnimatedSeries-73566-2.png
nre: Workplace/Family Drama with the occasional Nazi alien
“Star Trek Enterprise” (AKA The One That Nobody Likes)
Poor little “Enterprise.” This show came after a very long run of “Trek” and at this point the franchise needed an injection of fresh blood. Unfortunately it didn’t get it until Season 4 and by that point it was too late. “Enterprise” was a show nobody really wanted to make, and as a result the characters are poorly defined and the plots are tired. However when it started to get good, it got really good. “Enterprise” is a prequel to “The Original Series” that takes place before the formation of the Federation and before space travel was something normal for humans. At its best it shows different groups learning to work together for the common good and occasionally destroying super weapons. “Enterprise” is also an easy show to go into without any previous knowledge of “Trek,” since viewers get to encounter things from the rest of the franchise for the first time.
Best Episodes: Shuttlepod One, Minefield, Acquisition, Regeneration, Similitude, Twilight, Damage, The Forgotten, Countdown, Zero Hour, Exile, Storm Front, The Forge, Awakening, Kirshara, In A Mirror Darkly
IN SPACE!!! At its very best it kind of feels like “Lord of the Rings” in Space
If you like…
•   Subject: History
•   Genre: Historically Inaccurate Soap Opera
Note: These “best of” lists are not all of my own creation; they have been compiled from various best episode lists around the Internet. If you don’t want to take my word for it, check out TV tropes where people suggest and vote on episodes.
Another Note: Though I personally like to watch the pilot, first “Star Trek” pilots tend to be terrible (no pun intended), so I’d recommend you skip those as they might turn you off an otherwise good show.

VIKINGS ON HISTORY: THE NORSEMAN COMETH

November 28, 2014 Caroline Nelson

When I started watching “Vikings,” which just came back for its second season, I expected it to be a guilty pleasure. After all, it’s called “Vikings” and airs on a channel that’s become a running joke. On the surface it contains a lot of things I could use some more of in my life: shirtless guys, shield maidens, stealing stuff and making it look cool, shirtless guys hitting each other, visions of Ragnarok, general badassery, shirtless guys with swords, an adorable monk, threesomes, shirtless guys getting involved in well-choreographed battles, hallucinogens… you get the picture.
All that is why I started watching, but as I progressed I found something that I hadn’t been expecting, namely that “Vikings” is actually good. Sure, there’s a boring villain who hangs around for a while and some really unsatisfying dialogue here and there, but its strengths outweigh its flaws. The main reason for this being that it is preoccupied with something I thought History (formerly known as the History Channel) had absolutely no interest in, by which I mean history.
Its brilliance, however, lies in depicting a murky period of history, which allows writers more space to be creative than a better-documented era. Most of what we know about the Vikings comes from archeological evidence and the accounts of people who hated them, more neutral Middle Eastern observers, and their semi-historical, semi-mythical sagas like the one upon which “Vikings” is based. To these accounts the show adheres rather faithfully, though some of the gap filling seems a little implausible (no, I can’t prove to you that Vikings didn’t usually go in for threeways, but on the other hand there’s no proof that they did). But overall the show leaves me with the exhilarating sense that this might actually have been what life was like for great, great, great, great, great, great, great-grandpa Olaf.
Historical drama is a dodgy thing. Too often the characters seem far too much like you and me, except of course for the villains and, these days, anti-heroes, who are allowed to indulge in the vices of the time, giving the audience some vicarious enjoyment of things they aren’t supposed to say or do while shielding the writers from any accusation that they share in them. Sometimes I wonder why writers choose other periods since they seem to have set out with the sole purpose of condemning them. Other times the work seems to flit between idealization and escapism and reminding the audience that certain historical realities are wrong enough that that you feel yourself getting whiplash.
Though “Vikings” is admittedly told from the perspective of the titular Norsemen, it doesn’t stray away from the most confusing and disturbing facets of that society, leaving viewers to gaze upon a truly alien world.
“Vikings” has another rare quality I don’t find very often in television that isn’t prestige drama (and not even then). I haven’t bothered to look up the saga that details the life of the main character Ragnar Lothbrok and his compatriots. Why? Because I really have no idea what’s going to happen next.

HEART OF DARKNESS

November 28, 2014 Caroline Nelson

In an episode of “Top of the Lake,” Jane Campion’s darkly beautiful miniseries, one of the characters explains that, according to Maori legend, at the bottom of the titular lake there beats the heart of a demon. From what we’ve seen of the lake and the community around it, this fits right in.
The miniseries, which appeared on Sundance last year, stars Elizabeth Moss as a detective investigating the disappearance of a pregnant twelve year-old.
She grew up in this town, or so we’re told (Moss’s accent would suggest that she has just come there by way of a less than stellar dialogue coach).
She is aided by David Wenham’s “local” head of police, if by local we are meant to understand Sydney. Dodgy accents aside, both are serviceable leads, in the latter case definitely more than serviceable. I’ve always found Elizabeth Moss rather bland as an actress, but in this case a certain blank inscrutability does her good. Wenham is a fascinating creature, equally plausible as white knight and mustache twirling villain and every shade of grey in between. In this role he is both charming and repellent depending on the moment and from which angle you look at him.
Honorable mention should also be made of Holly Hunter’s turn as a guru whose ramblings tread the line between profundity and insanity. With her gravely voice and her usual ferocity, she owns each scene she gets.
The reception this miniseries has gotten from male critics has a patronizing thread to it, best exemplified by one critic’s joke in a list of best television of 2013 that this was a perfect show for people who used the word patriarchy on a regular basis.
Though “Top of the Lake” is a story about sexual abuse and misogyny, it is irritatingly reductive to write it off as a misandrist rant. Aside from the usual issue of writing off anything deemed a women’s story or women’s show, a reading this straightforward fails to grasp the twisted, dreamlike logic of the work. The New Zealand wilderness evoked by Campion is a primal and hostile place where, although the supernatural would not be out of place, the audience is not offered the easy out given by its spiritual forebearer, David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks.”
That show’s explanation of demonic possession is actually comforting; we like to dwell on monsters but who are we kidding? Something would have to be pretty bad to outclass humans.

"ARCHER" ENTERS THE DANGER ZONE

November 28, 2014 Elena Pinsker

When “Archer” debuted back in 2010… I wasn’t plugged in enough to be watching. But when I discovered it on Netflix a couple years later, it felt like the comedy I’d been waiting for. Imaginative, raunchy, sick, twisted, and smart, “Archer” has always been above all else extremely funny. It also served as a great way to get over “Arrested Development,” one of television fans’ great “ones that got away” (fellow “Firefly” enthusiasts, I don’t know what to tell you… maybe you could try watching “Star Trek” and a John Ford film at the same time).

“Archer” is an animated sitcom which manages to mine new comedic material from what had previously seemed to be tapped out genre: the spy spoof. It was laugh-out-loud hilarious from the pilot all through seasons one, two, and three. Then around came season four and it was… good.

Now in the middle of season 5 I will continue to praise the show with faint damnation by saying that it is still good. Though obviously all television is subjective, for me comedy is an especially thorny problem because at the end of the day, there is only one thing that really decides whether or not I keep watching: is it funny? This property of funniness is illusive and I can’t pinpoint what it’s tied too. The aggressively stupid “Robot Chicken” makes me laugh out loud whereas the clever and inventive “30 Rock” has yet to illicit a chuckle from me. But just as often, I find myself unmoved by silliness but almost literally rolling on the floor over a Monty Python philosophy-related gag (preferably involving Australians named Bruce). “Archer” has always been a perfect mix of absurd, filthy, and highbrow, but for some reason it just isn’t as funny anymore. Recently the creator has admitted that he’s become bored with the show and, to guard against creative stagnation, gave this most recent season a makeover. The show is now called “Archer Vice” and the characters have lost their spy agency and are making inept attempts at forming a drug cartel. But despite this alleged retooling, everything feels the same. Maybe it just needs a more sweeping kind of change, though what that would be I couldn’t say, or maybe (circling back to “Arrested Development”) this kind of comedic brilliance can only stay strong for about three seasons.