The Scripps Voice

As a member of the Admissions Ambassador Team for the Scripps Admissions Office, I think I can speak for most of us when I say that it is much easier, and far more enjoyable, to talk to prospective students who know that they want to attend Scripps College. The burden of convincing these high school seniors that Scripps is the place for them is shed, and we are able to get down to the basics of their future Scripps experience. This is one of the many reasons that “Spend A Day In Our Shoes”—SADIOS for short—is my favorite prospective student event.

On Monday, April 15, “We welcomed to campus 158 admitted students and 215 additional guests, for a total of 373 visitors,” Vice President for Enrollment Victoria Romero reported. According to upperclassmen and admissions staff, this year saw one of the highest numbers of attendees in the history of the event.

Romero also commented that the SADIOS program “is a success because everyone is so willing to meet and talk with prospective students and families.” In fact, a good friend of mine, who isn’t even on the Admissions Ambassador Team, showed up to talk to some students with me when they all arrived Sunday afternoon. She told me that she simply wanted to talk to some prospective students about how amazing being at Scripps has been for her and all of her friends. As volunteers, all of us on the Team hope to inspire “prospies,” as they are commonly known, to imagine their fantastic, opportunity-filled lives here.

Maricela Limas, staff representative for the vice president of enrollment, could not have been more pleased with the outcome of SADIOS. “Overall, the program was a huge success. Most admitted students and parents thanked us for our hospitality and wished they could spend more time exploring the campus.”

The event becomes far more meaningful when you can see, through the words and actions of the students, that this experience has made an impact on their perception of Scripps College. One student commented, “I really liked being able to sit in on a class. By doing so, I was able to see how professors teach their students on an every day basis, and I was able to witness teacher- student relationships as they naturally are at Scripps.” Another said, “I really enjoyed the ‘Just for Students Panel.’ It was so open and the students were willing to answer just about anything the audience asked, and I really got an idea of the student body.”

The time has come, sexy readers, to discuss some bloody serious business. Not the fact that your beloved Slutty Health Expert is graduating and leaving you sex-column-less. It’s been a fun year, but SHE gets the feeling that the dearth of questions indicates that all you sexy readers have grown into confident sex deities, ready to tackle your sex problems (and one another) with the open, honest excitement you deserve. And if you’re ever struck with a bout of sexual confusion, an archive of past columns now exists on the Scripps Voice website, for easy reference if you ever start to miss your dear SHE.

No, the serious business we need to discuss is menstruation. Period sex. (I wanted to end my column with a bang, but I think the more appropriate punctuation is a period, don’t you?)

I know I’ve alluded to how sex can be messy, but I’ve never gotten explicit about how bloody messy it can be. (Get it? Because there can be blood.)

Don’t want to think about menstruating vaginas? Then you’re probably not the type of person who should consider a relationship with a pre-menopausal female-bodied individual. If you are sexually attracted to people with vaginas, you better not get all squeamish when those vaginas start spouting their monthly celebrations of the fact that their respective people are not pregnant. Join the celebration. Pamper that vagina-haver. Respect the bloated individual’s request to be left alone, or the achy individual’s request for a massage, or the horny individual’s request for some good ol’ period sex. (I’m not saying you have to indulge all these requests.

I’m just saying respect them.) Keep in mind that every individual deals with menstruation in a different way. We don’t all crave chocolate. We don’t all turn into crying wrecks, subconsciously mourning the loss of our wasted ova.

A menstruating vagina is not an unlovable vagina. Don’t rule out the possibility of some menstrual lovin’ just because the prospect of getting a little bloody daunts you. That’s what showers are for, right? And laundry soap, if you don’t feel like taking your sexy period adventures to that slightly-public venue that is your dorm’s showers.

Tampons (or Diva Cups, handily sold at the Motley if you fancy the investment) need not be removed for non-penetrative pleasure to be shared, so there’s no need to even make the bloody mess you may be worrying about. Just respect that string (or the Diva Cup stem) and don’t go pulling on the flow-stauncher unless you want to open the floodgates.

Not that you even have to open the floodgates. Perhaps the most exciting innovation I’ve heard of in the past year (definitely the most exciting one I’ve heard of in the past week) is the Instead Softcup. It’s like the Diva Cup, in that it’s a little cup that catches menstrual flow. But, unlike a low-riding Diva Cup, the cervix-hugging Soft-cup can be left in during sex. And sleep. And other strenuous physical activities. For up to 12 hours. It takes up less space in the loving and lovable orifice that is the vagina, and it doesn’t have that nubbin of a stem should you penetrate all the way to the cervix where it’s nestled.

The eco-friendly tampon alternative that is the Softcup lets you avoid the potential awkwardness of pausing mid-hookup to remind your partner that sex can get bloody messy. (And will, if penetration occurs, do just that.) The Softcup also lets you avoid awkwardness with non-sexual partners: boiling that Diva Cup in your dorm kitchen, having to tell hungry and curious passers-by that you’re not making din- ner, you’re just sanitizing your menstruation- catching container between cycles.

I vote Softcup.

The only drawback I can think of is you have to buy a new reusable Softcup for every cycle. Or buy non-reusable Softcups with even greater frequency. Either way, buying more Softcups rather than making the year-long investment in a slightly-less-wasteful Diva Cup strikes me as a fair trade. Because, you guys: period sex.

So, everyone who menstruates: Buy a Softcup. Have sex with it. (Well, not with it, but while it’s inside your vagina. You know what I mean.)

See? Nothing scary about the menstruating vagina. That said, a menstruating vagina is also not a vagina that prevents pregnancy. Or STIs. The menstruating individual is actually at higher risk for the spread of STIs than her non-bloody compatriots. Even with the miraculous Softcup in place. Remember how I debunked those condom-based myths last column? I am still pro-condom. And pro-sex. Period.

I LOVE YOU, BUT IT’S OVER -SHE

David Treuer is a big name in the literary circuit, be it for his award-winning novels, his snarky book of literary criticisms, or his work as a professor in post- grad literature at the University of Southern California. Treuer has been hopping around the states, touring for his new book, but what makes his newest endeavor different from Little, The Hiawatha, or The Translation of Dr. Apelles?

This time around, Treuer surprises with his first piece of non-fiction, Rez Life: An Indian’s Journey through Reservation Life. Seven years in the making, Rez Life is a culmination of personal stories, some Treuer’s, some interviewees’. All in all, it provides a thoughtful, in- depth look at the life of an Ojibwe Indian.

Before his reading on April 18 in Denison Library’s Holbein Room, Treuer sat and spoke with me for a few moments. Luckily, I’ve met Treuer before, in the class he taught at Scripps only one year ago, back when he was the Mary Routt Chair of Writing. He smiled and reminisced, saying, “That class was one of the best I’ve taught. Really the energy was great.”

Moving past remembrances of Scripps, Treuer described his own journey in writing Rez Life. He recalls having to “start over” from scratch for the first time: “My editor was younger than me. He told me my piece just couldn’t work. I remember thinking he was an idiot, but I took his advice. And, well, he was mostly right.”

Truer continued, “I was raised on Leech Lake Reservation, but on the outskirts, not in the center. Life is different depending on where you lived. There is not one rez life, but rez lives. There are people on the reservation who are happy, living relatively untroubled lives.” Treuer explained that tragedy is the only light Natives are seen in these days. He wants to move away from all that, for no other reason than “it’s just not how things are.”

Is more non-fiction in Treuer’s future? “I’m working on another book of literary criticisms,” he said. “I’m still walking down the non-fiction path. With non- fiction, there’s just facts. In fiction, I have to work to create the mystery of a world. Non-fiction narrows the lens, and I can concentrate on telling people’s stories as authentically as possible.” Fact or fiction, Treuer’s not stopping any time soon.

Of the 56 seniors who responded to The Scripps Voice’s survey, after graduation 57 percent intend to work, 23 percent intend to go immediately to graduate school, 10 percent have accepted a fellowship, and 7 percent are undecided.

Five seniors plan on working at an organic farm or working with a Worldwide Organization of Organic Farmers (WWOOF) sponsor.

Thirteen plan to teach or tutor, work- ing with such organizations as Teach for America (TFA) and the Fulbright Teaching program to local tutoring centers.

Fourteen plan to go abroad to places as far-spread as Indonesia, India, Benin and Bulgaria.

Haeyoung Yoon plans to work on Eric Garcetti’s political campaign as he runs for mayor of Los Angeles in 2013.

Alexandra Talleur will be attending Columbia University’s summer publishing course in New York City.

Tasha Russman plans on being in Hyderbad, India, with IDEX Fellowship in Social Enterprise doing consulting work with non-profit, for-profit and hybrid mod- el social enterprises.

Three seniors explicitly stated “travel” as one of their options. However, knowing that some of these seniors will be in places such as Thailand and France, it is expected that many other seniors will be doing rec- reational travel, as well.

Twenty-one students’ post-graduation plans relate to their majors or minors. Of that number, nine are going to graduate school, three of whom are going to gradu- ate school in an area related to their mi- nors.

Graduate Schools

Seniors have decided to attend or are deciding among Mills, USC, UNLV, Uni- versity of Cambridge, CGU, Emory, UW, University of Edinburgh and the Univer- sity of Hawaii Manoa.

Companies and Organizations

Seniors have accepted, are considering, or are waiting to hear back from the US Assembly of European Regions, BUNAC, NERA Economic Consulting, Wildfire Interactive and Latin America for Less.

This summer I will be working at a restaurant at Sig- nal Mountain Lodge in Grand Teton National Park. I knew I wanted to do something this summer that would be fun, adventurous, and unrelated to my long- term career goals for a change. I applied to dozens of similar jobs in national parks, but this lodge stood out, and I knew as soon as I was offered the position that it just felt right. I can’t wait to meet lots of new people and spend three months living in and exploring one of the most beautiful places in the country.

Thanks to the generous Gabrielle Jungels-Winkler Scholarship, I will be studying post-1960 American art at the MA program at the Courtauld Institute of Art in Lon- don. I’m currently an art history major, and in the future I would love to become a curator. I’m very excited to delve more deeply into my studies, see some great exhibitions, and live in London for nine months.

As another year in Claremont is coming to a close, some Scripps students are finishing up the entire academic year they spent abroad. The Scripps Voice had the opportunity to talk with Katie Evans (’13) to learn more about her experience spending one semester in Germany and the other in Korea.

As a foreign language major studying two languages with fewer classes available, Evans was beginning to run out of options by her second semester of sopho- more year. “I knew if I really wanted to have a thorough knowledge of German and Korean, I would have to be abroad,” she said, “Since I’m studying German and Korean, it seemed obvious to go [to Germany and Korea], although I had options for cities when it came to Germany.”

For her first semester, Evans chose to go to Germany with the IES Freiburg program, which is not approved by Scripps. “I knew I wanted to be in southern Germany, but the description of the city and the program itself sold Freiburg to me over Munich and Heidelberg. I don’t regret it!” she said.

In Freiburg, Evans lived in university housing—similar to a suite at Scripps—with German students. She had the option of taking university courses but mostly took courses tailored to IES students.

For anyone interested in studying abroad in Germany, Evans advised, “If you’ve had more than two years of German and want to go abroad, [Freiburg] is the place to go. Don’t let the petition process scare you, it’s nothing!”

Evans is currently finishing up her spring semester in Seoul, Korea through CIEE. She lives in Yonsei University housing with other international students and is taking classes directly at the university.

The decision to go to Germany first was extremely simple for Evans. “I wanted to be in Germany for the holidays which, while celebrated in Asia, aren’t nearly as prominent as in Europe,” she explained.

Evans went home for a month in between her semesters abroad, which helped her transition between the two locations. She has been living away from home since 2006, when she started going to boarding school. “My parents have the opposite of empty nest syndrome; they love being home without me or my brother. I do feel a little bad, though, because one of the first things I ask about when we Skype is my cat,” she told us.

In her year abroad, Evans has noticed a huge improvement in her language skills. “Some people I studied with completely reinvented themselves over the semester, but that didn’t happen to me,” Evans explained. However, she did note that she is less willing to put up with inappropriate behavior—such as sexist jokes—from men.

When asked what she’ll miss from her year abroad, Evans said, “I’ll miss the transportation, the food, the shopping and how easy it was to travel.” Her location in Germany was less than an hour from both France and Switzerland. In November, Evans went to Switzerland for a day to go to a profressional tennis tourna- ment. “I ended up seeing my two favorite players, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic. I caught laryngitis a few days later from overusing my vocal cords, but it was definitely worth it.”

“From Korea, I’ll miss the 24-hour convenience stores and the cafés where you can play with pets for hours,” Evans said. She also raved about the ice cream cakes in Korea. Evans will turn 21 shortly after the program ends, but she plans on buying an ice cream cake to celebrate before she leaves.

When asked if she misses Scripps, Evans responded, “Yes and no. I miss my friends, my extra-curriculars—A-Team and [in]visible magazine—the beautiful dorms, and the pasta at CMC. But like any other place or experience, there are downsides.” One of these downsides is the lack of transportation in and around Claremont.

Despite the downsides, Evans is happy to be returning. “I’m excited to be a senior and return to doing club activities and seeing people I’ve missed for over a year,” she said.

If you want to know more about her experiences, make sure you give her time to talk about them! “It’s nice when people want to know about what you’ve been doing, but it’s impossible to condense a year of life into 30 seconds of small talk,” Evans explained.

The members of the geology department at Pomona College are close-knit. I’ve been aware of the department’s feeling of camaraderie since the moment I walked into the building. It was during my first semester in college; I was going to speak with Robert Gaines, the department chair, in order to see how I can take geology classes as a way to fulfill my science requirement for the Science, Technology and Society (STS) major. This major, focused on the study of knowledge-making practices, requires me to participate in science first-hand. It is a way for me to analyze the systems in place in the teaching and making of science. I wanted to take Introductory Geology, but the waiting list was 100 students long! Gaines said, however, that since I had already taken two semesters of introductory earth science at East Los Angeles College, I would be prepared to take an intermediate- division course. And so it was that I found myself in GEO 123: The Neotectonics of Southern California.

Everyone else in this class is a geology major and at least a sophomore, so as a first-year, of course I felt intimidated. Some of my fears were alleviated once I realized that my background knowledge was on par with my peers. In addition, Linda Reinen, my professor, supported me from the start. I am certain that my position as an STS major—an “outsider”—has enabled me to see things that other students can’t. It is like the saying that Mariane De Laet, my introductory STS professor says, , “A fish swimming in water does not realize that it is in water.” One quirk I noticed was the fact that trees in a cross section of a diagram of the earth, which are shown for reference, were always comically large! For the remainder of the class, I could not stop chuckling.

While taking Neotectonics and speaking to all of the professors in the geology department, I am realizing that there is a place for non-majors and STS students like me. Even though I will never have a laminated photo of myself on the geology department’s wall, I know I have made my mark with them. Said Reinen, “I feel as if I should incorporate more STS themes in my class, because I think they are important.” On the anniversary of the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake, Professor Reinen gave us a link to articles on the resulting tsunami and nuclear meltdown. They were all full of STS topics, arguing about the purpose of science and on how it should be open when sharing information. And for our final project, one question we must research is how a population is affected by living with certain geomorphic features—an acknowledgment to the field of STS.

In the play Copenhagen by Michael Frayn, Niels Bohr says to Werner Heisenberg, “I believe that we don’t do science for ourselves, that we do it so we can explain to others…in plain language.” While I do not have my entire life mission planned out, one of my goals is to be in a position where I can explain science, which often seems mysterious and intangible, to the public. Taking Neotectonics has helped me on the way to reaching that goal; by learning seismology, I will be able to more articulately transmit this information to the wider public. In time, I will also be able to articulate the public’s sentiments on issues in a way for scientists to understand, which is part of what STS is all about

“ladies”

When Scripps professors come in to a classroom, and say, “Hey ladies.” Not only is it an annoying word, but it’s very paternalistic.

witty after the fact

I don’t know about you, but I feel as though I always think of something witty to say after its too late. After the person has left, after the text conversation has taken a new turn, after someone else said something witty and yours wasn’t as witty, so it’s no longer viable. I wish I had the gift of wittiness.

how TSL steals our writers

I am jealous of TSL from stealing all of the fabulous Scripps writers. Has more prestige, a longer track record… it’s no wonder our Scripps writers are going elsewhere. But we have grown and now we have pride and we want Scrippsies to feel that their voice is heard right here!

Netflix Instant TV

I haven’t decided whether it’s a gift from God or the worst procrastination site on the internet – it’s a time sucker.

Summer

With all this fabulous weather outside, it’s no wonder we don’t have any more fucks to give.

Claremont WIFI

Claremont works at Scripps and not at Pomona, Claremont – WPA works at Pomona and not at Scripps. The internet works in Smiley, but not in the SCC and not at Rains… wtf?!? Also, the one place that should ALWAYS have internet is the Library…. seriously Claremont?

The Bitch Tally

What began as a count of just one unnamed editor’s comments turned into a competition between editors to see who could (or couldn’t) be bitchier. The final tally?
Too embarrassing to reveal. Just be relieved that this is the only space in our newspaper where we show our true colors.

“White women are racists too!”

Believe it, dear readers. This was scrawled in white chalk on the ground outside of Balch. I came upon it Sunday morning and I’m assuming it’s been taken down by now. But, seriously? There’s enough problems with that sentence, enough to fill a book’s worth of pages. But, seriously?