The Scripps Voice

By Guadalupe de la Cruz ‘11
SAS Communications Chair

To promote transparency, the Scripps Public Relations department has created a position for a SAS representative on the Scripps College Magazine Editorial Board, which advises the PR office on the magazine, published three times a year.  The Communications Chair is a new position on SAS this year whose responsibilities include being this representative. I, as the Communications Chair, am responsible for representing student perspectives on the content and layout of the magazine. For the latest edition of the magazine, most of the stories and layout had already been selected at the beginning of the semester even though many things changed afterwards due to the prestigious award received by the Scripps College Academy.

While the magazine is mainly targeted at keeping alumnae and friends of the college informed on all the latest college news and events, it usually includes stories on student life and profiles, as well as academics, awards, and alumnae spotlight. A main concern I heard voiced from students was the lack of transparency regarding how students were selected to be featured in the magazine and how a student or group might go about being featured. I spoke to Mary S. Bartlett, College Editor, and she informed me that most some students who had previously been featured simply asked her office and oftentimes wrote their own articles, in addition to references from individual professors and different offices on campus. However, in her new position (she has previously been Director of the entire Public Relations department), Bartlett has committed to actively seek out more feedback and submissions from students for the magazine.

Since this conversation, she and I have been brainstorming on ways to make this process more open and available to all students and groups on campus. To include stories accurately representing the student community, we are currently working on a process to take submissions from student groups or individuals, after which the Board would recommend which stories to include in the magazine. However, it is likely that not all submissions would be published due to the constraints of space in the magazine.  Deadlines for submission will be released to the entire student body as they become available, as well as more detailed information regarding length and content of articles. In the meantime, please email me at gdelacru@scrippscollege.edu if you are interested in learning more about potentially writing an article and being featured in upcoming issues of the magazine.

Gingerbread Pancakes

The perfect fix to your early morning gingerbread cookie craving. These pancakes will melt in your mouth with their delicious flavor. For an even more scrumptious meal add orange butter!

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons baking powder
3 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
6 tablespoons ground hazelnuts
3 cups milk
6 egg whites
6 tablespoons dark molasses
6 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions
1. In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking powder, cocoa, ginger, cinnamon and cloves; stir in hazelnuts. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl whisk together milk, egg whites and molasses.
3. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour wet ingredients into it. Stir just enough to moisten; batter will be lumpy.
4. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Ready In: 30 min
Recipe by Allrecipes.com

Gingerbread Cookie Mix in a Jar

Need a gift that is inexpensive yet creative? Try this recipe for gingerbread cookie mix in a jar. Perfect your for mom, dad, neighbor, or even your boss. Add your own extra touch with personalized decorations.

Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup packed brown sugar

Directions

1. Mix 2 cups of the flour with the baking soda and baking powder. Mix the remaining 1 1/2 cups flour with the ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and allspice. In a 1 quart, wide mouth canning jar, layer the ingredients starting with the flour and baking powder mixture, then the brown sugar, and finally the flour and spice mixture. Pack firmly between layers.

2. Attach a card to the jar with the following directions:

Gingerbread Cookies
1. Empty contents of jar into a large mixing bowl. Stir to blend together. Mix in 1/2 cup softened butter or margarine, 3/4 cup molasses, and 1 slightly beaten egg. Dough will be very stiff, so you may need to use your hands. Cover, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. Roll dough to 1/4 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Cut into shapes with a cookie cutter. Place cookies on a lightly greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. 4. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in preheated oven. Decorate as desired.

Recipe by Allrecipes.com

By Anna Petkovich ’14
Features Editor

There’s nothing quite like Christmas music to get you in the holiday spirit. Sure, there are holiday movies on TV and adorable Christmas trees in dorm living rooms, but little compares to the warm fuzzy feelings that envelop you hearing your favorite song. That being said, consider some of these tunes, guaranteed to bring happiness and holiday cheer as you prepare for Christmas (or finals). This playlist has a little something for everyone – the Rat Pack classics, holiday movie favorites, alternative takes and, of course, Lady Gaga and Jon Bon Jovi. Also included, some alternative to the alternatives!

“God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen”- Bright Eyes
Bright Eyes definitely brings tidings of comfort and joy.

“Silver Bells”- Dean Martin

“Happy Christmas”- John Lennon

“Peace”- Norah Jones

“Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”- Death Cab for Cutie
(Also see: “Baby Please Come Home” Jon Bon Jovi Sentimental and rockin’ versions).

“Last Christmas”- Jimmy Eat World
(Also see: “Last Christmas” Taylor Swift Versions for everyone! In addition, consider “Last Christmas” by Wham! to add some 80s flavor to your holidays).

“Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!”- Ella Fitzgerald
Entirely appropriate for 70 degree Claremont weather.

“Blue Christmas”- Bright Eyes

“All I Want for Christmas is You”- Mariah Carey

“Santa Baby”- Eartha Kitt
(Also see: “Santa Baby” Kylie Minogue Kylie gives Eartha a run for her money (literally and figuratively?), but no one can replace Ms. Kitt as “Santa Baby”’s sensual, gold-digging chanteuse).

“Winter Wonderland”- Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin

“Christmas is All Around”- Billy Mack Love Actually!

“It Came Upon a Midnight Clear”- Sixpence None the Richer

“Christmastime”- The Smashing Pumpkins

“Frosty the Snowman”- Fiona Apple

“Christmas Eve/Sarajevo”- Trans-Siberian Orchestra

“Baby, it’s Cold Outside”- Leon Redbone & Zooey Deschanel Elf!

“Step Into Christmas”- Elton John

“Jingle Bell Rock”- The Beatles

“Christmas Tree”- Lady Gaga
Trust Gaga to take a wildly inappropriate approach to a holiday favorite.

“The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire) - Lena Horne

“Oi to the World”- No Doubt
Nothing beats Christmas music about post-gang fight reconciliation, gotta spread that holiday cheer.

“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”- Judy Garland
Meet me in St. Louis!

By Elena Hernandez ‘11
Guest Writer

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ELENA HERNANDEZ

As six legs flipped over six heads into suspended upside-down splits, there was an audible gasp from the bleachers before the crowd of over three hundred burst into applause. At the 2010 National Collegiate Championships at the Ohio Star Ball in Columbus, Ohio, the Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company’s formation Latin dance medley was quickly becoming an audience favourite just one minute into the routine. By the end of the evening, the Claremont Colleges had been named the second-place formation team in the nation.

This year’s nationals dance routine was in close contention with University of California, San Diego for first place. Team member and the CCBDC co-president Aaron Brown (PO ’11) agrees that the excitement of the crowd revealed that the routine was well received—and inspired the dancers to perform even better.  “It definitely felt like we won the crowd over,” he said, “There was never a moment when I wasn’t excited to be dancing.”

The nationals competition routine members spent 10 to 20 hours a week rehearsing the dance, but nothing could have prepared them for the intensity of actually competing. The CCBDC co-president Asumi Ohgushi (’11) has previously competed with the CCBDC in the nationals routine, yet she still feels the adrenaline rush of performing. “It was very, very stimulating; it was very intense,” she said, “I was aware of what I was doing the whole time. I was up in the judges faces 80 to 90 percent of the time, so I was focusing on everything I was doing all the time.”

However, it wasn’t only members of the dance routine that prepared for the nationals competition; other members of the Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company supported the routine members through encouragement and even by putting the final rhinestones on their costumes. “Seeing the costumes put together by team members shows just how much all of he team cares about each other and how collaboration makes everything on team possible,” nationals member Kelsey Frost (’13) says. It is in the same spirit of collaboration that the CCBDC hosts events such as the Claremont Dance Festival, the Ballroom Dance Concert and our own ballroom dance competition, the Winter Showdown, which is coming up early next spring.

The nationals dance routine expects the Michael Jackson medley to be just as energetic—and as competitive—in year’s competitions. One of the routine dance captains, Ian Jimenez (HMC ’11) sums it up this way, “The final performance was one of the best we had ever had. We did a great job and I am excited to see what we can do next semester.”

By Claire Wilson ’13
Staff Writer

It is easy to become trapped inside the Claremont College bubble. I am not referring to the physical trap of students who rarely leave campus because they do not have a car, but rather the mental trap of forgetting to acknowledge the world outside of our one-square mile college campus. If you read any media source right now, Wikileaks has dominated news coverage in the United States and international community. However, it absolutely shocks me that when I bring up the topic in conversation with my peers, the majority of students have never heard about Wikileaks. As educated citizens, it is our duty to be informed and updated about current world news, especially regarding such a contentious and significant issue.

Wikileaks is an international media source with an online database that publishes secret information about governments and corporation. The organization was founded three years ago by Julian Assange—an Australian journalist and activist—whose role in the disclosure of classified government documents has sent him running from legal action by the U.S. government. He is currently suspected to be residing in England, but his location is unknown. The organization has a small core staff and an additional alleged 800 to 1,000 workers that aid in encrypting, programming and writing news releases. Wikileaks’ methods for accessing these highly classified documents is currently under investigation, but one principal alleged contributor for the release of information is an army intelligence analyst named Bradley E. Manning. At 22 years old, this young man has contributed to one of the greatest “information scandals” in United States history. And the astonishing fact is that given his age, he could be a Claremont College student.

Wikileaks formatively came to the American public’s attention from the release of the War Logs, which published enlightening insight on the U.S. military engagement in Afghanistan and Iraq. 77,000 documents were published in July concerning Afghanistan and following that, almost 400,000 documents were printed regarding Iraq in October. Among the major revelations were many instances of the U.S. military deliberately ignoring detainee abuse by Iraqi allies and a hidden 15,000 civilian-casualty count. Was the United States government really trying to hide this information from the public? Yes.

Beginning on Nov. 28, Wikileaks has again been put under the media spot light, for its new release of a massive cache of diplomatic cables. Diplomatic cables are confidential messages between diplomats in embassies or consulates abroad, and the public’s new access to them has allowed an unprecedented awareness of conversations between world leaders. With current access to one-quarter million diplomatic cables from the U.S. State Department, Assange has announced that Wikileaks will gradually release these documents in the following months.

Does Wikileaks pose a threat to U.S national security or preserve democracy? The U.S. government is infuriated with Wikileaks, deeming that the organization is treasonous and endangers the safety of the American public. However, the U.S. government’s demand for secrecy deserves questioning. I want to remind you that this is not the United State’s first experience with the public gaining access to top secret government information. The Pentagon papers released during the Vietnam War provided U.S. citizens with horrific details on the raids and bombing by the U.S. in Cambodia. Also, let’s not forget reporter Bob Woodward’s investigation of the Watergate scandal and coverage of Nixon’s attempt to break into the Democratic National Committee. The release of the Wikileaks documents has brought crucial discourse to the transparency of the United States government and foreign policy. As U.S. citizens, our tax dollars pay for these diplomatic operations abroad. I argue that the access to information that Wikileaks provides Americans upholds a genuine democracy, with rightly informed citizens. However, I encourage you do your own research on Wikileaks, form your own opinions and engage in substantive debates with your peers about this formative issue.

Related: The Dangers of Classified Documents When Released

By Nikki Broderick ‘14
Staff Writer

When WikiLeaks representative Julian Assange agreed to post confidential diplomatic cables over the Internet, did he realize exactly what he was doing? Last week, WikiLeaks.org posted over 250,000 documents—some good, some ugly and some potentially harmful to many people.

The United States government plans to charge Assange with criminal charges under the Espionage Act, a move that is likely to be unsuccessful. Assange is already wanted in relation to sex crimes in Sweden, and is now wanted by Interpol in addition to United States authorities. On Dec. 7 Assange turned himself in to British authorities and was denied bail. Sweden plans to arrange an extradition from the United Kingdom.

Some say that a lack of United States security caused the WikiLeaks problem, and one soldier, Private Bradley Manning, was responsible for the leak of confidential documents. Manning will be tried for treason.

WikiLeaks.org surfaced on the Internet in December 2006 and has suffered some setback due to a lack of funding. Created by unsatisfied journalists and Chinese dissidents, among others, WikiLeaks states that its main goal as “exposing oppressive regimes in Asia, the former Soviet bloc, Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East,” although that certainly hasn’t stopped the flood of private United States documents that have been posted on the site over the past year.

On March 15, 2010, WikiLeaks released a 32-page document from the United States Department of Defense describing new security suggestions to combat WikiLeaks. The organization also released the Afghan War Diary in July of 2010: 92,000 documents detailing the war in Afghanistan between 2004 and 2009, including reports of friendly fire and civilian casualties. The final United States leak preceding the diplomatic cables were the Iraq War Logs on Oct. 22 2010—this time upgrading to a larger scale with 400,000 documents, a leak classified as the largest of its kind.

The latest leak includes information of the United States opinion of many foreign governments—corruption exists in all levels of government in Afghanistan and Russia, Afghanistan’s president; Hamid Karzai, is weak and ineffective, among others. The documents also suggest that some Middle Eastern countries, such as Saudi Arabia, have urged the United States to attack Iran in order to prevent the already unstable country from getting nuclear weapons. There are some interesting leaks—supposedly the Chinese aided in the computer hacking of Google in China—but also many potentially harmful ones, such as the names of Afghan informants, humans rights activists and journalists.

I’m all for freedom of speech and information. But did Julian Assange ever think past the release of the hundreds of thousands of documents that could harm United States security and seriously damage our already shaky diplomacy? Some of this information needs to be exposed. But with 250,000 tedious, long, documents posted on a website, it is up to other news journalists to sift through the havoc and find what really matters. WikiLeaks claims to be a legitimate media outlet, but leaves the work up to all other news companies.

The First Amendment guarantees freedom of speech, and I’m not suggesting any sort of government sanctioned censorship—but it needs to be used wisely. WikiLeaks former goal of exposing oppressive governments has turned into embarrassing the United States on a diplomatic level. Instead of a blind release of all documents, maybe next time WikiLeaks should try true journalism: sift through the facts and protect potentially harmful information about civilians.

Related: The Release of U.S. Documents via WikiLeaks: A Preservation of Democracy

By Oriana LaVilla ‘14
Features Editor

Attending open houses, averaging assignment numbers, scrutinizing hall charts, and that moment of panick when you realize all of your top five room choices have already been taken may soon be sensations of the past. This week’s Be Heard Forum asked students to critically consider our current hall draw process and propose new ideas for a smoother, more enjoyable, and stress-free process. Most students who were at the forum were not avid supporters of the current process. A few issues that students felt strongly about included open house efficiency, rules for friends wanting to combine their numbers to share a room or suite, and the final moment of decision-making in Balch auditorium.

Open House
Problem

Scripps students gather on the Motley stage to discuss the rules and ramifications of this year's Hall Draw.

Open houses can be beneficial to students on some level, but it is difficult for students to be efficient in their room search when every room is slightly different and many current residents are not available to keep their doors open. One student may look at 5 rooms in a specific dorm but come time of hall draw those five rooms are taken and that student has no idea what other rooms in that dorm are like. Running around to all the different open houses can potentially waste a lot of time.

Solution: In addition to having open houses a small committee could create a hall directory for each hall. These directories would detail the perks of each room. For example, Room 100 has a sink, a balcony, and a walk in closet. This would allow students looking for certain “room perks” to see which rooms had what amenities without having to knock on every residents door.

Rules for Students Drawing Singles Together
Problem: The current process requires groups of students wanting to draw at the same time in order to live in single rooms near each other use the lowest of the members’ numbers in a group when drawing.

Solution: Why not let students average their numbers? This would allow them to take advantage of group members’ higher numbers while still keeping things fair.

Final Decision Time
Problem: Students only have a few minutes to look over the hall charts laid out in the Balch conference room, only to realize all of their top five room choices have already been drawn into creates a stressful situations when they are given one minute in the auditorium to draw into another room.

Solution: Create hall charts online, similar to registration, that are updated to show which rooms have been drawn into and which are still available. With this feature, students can check online ahead of time and will be able to re-think their choices without feeling stressed out come draw time.

By Vritti Goel ‘12
Co-Editor-in-Chief

PHOTOS BY JULIA PETRAGLIA

Claremont students believe in keeping families together. On Dec. 3, the 5C Criminal Justice Network (CJN) organized a Holiday Craft Fair to raise money for California non-profit organization Get on the Bus, which aims to provide children and their guardians/caregivers from all across the state with a way to visit incarcerated parents in prison. The organization provides travel, meals, counseling and pictures at no cost to families. Each year on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, hundreds of children and their caregivers board buses chartered by Get on the Bus and make the otherwise-impossible-to-make trip to visit their loved ones.

CJN charged members of the Consortium community as well as members of the outside community money to rent a table for the three hour-long fair. Participants sold a variety of crafts and items, from intricate jewelry to knitted items. Students representing Cultivating Dreams, the 5C nonprofit organization that founded and runs an organic garden in California Institute for Women—a women’s prison in Chino—sold water bottles while urging people to vote for them in the grant competitionPepsi Refresh in order to win $25,000 for their project. Another booth featured tie-dyeing—for a small price students could buy and create their own colorful t-shirt.

Registration fees for the tables went straight toward chartering a bus for Get on the Bus. CJN organizes various events throughout the year to raise awareness about issues of criminal justice among the Claremont community and encourage activism to address the injustices of the prison industrial complex. To get involved, or for more information, please email 5ccriminaljusticenetwork@gmail.com.

By Heidi Hong ‘12
Arts & Entertainment Editor

PHOTO COURTESY OF MONASH UNIVERSITY LIBRARY

On Dec. 2, a group of students and faculty gathered on the lawn outside Honnold/Mudd Library for a marathon reading of John Milton’s 17th century epic “Paradise Lost,” a retelling of Adam and Eve’s fall from heaven. Under a sparse white tent, microphones were set up for the four readers who took turns reading the poem. Every so often, one of the readers left the table quietly to take a break. Another person then slid easily into the empty seat and the reading continued without interruption.

Reading Milton’s epic is a remarkable feat that requires perseverance and quiet, determined energy. The text itself is packed with metaphors, allusions to mythology and language that is at first glance erudite, then excessively beautiful when closely examined. Comprised of ten books, the text chronicles Satan’s fall from heaven, Eden prior to Original Sin, and Adam and Eve’s exile from paradise. Combined, it is a complex exploration of the origins of human experience drawn out to fill the space of 12 hours.

The reading began at around 8 a.m. and lasted until 8 p.m. Heaters were set up around the tents to warm the speakers. Speakers ranged from students from the Claremont Colleges to Professor Jacqueline Wernimont, a faculty member of the Scripps English department who teaches a course on Milton. Hearing a myriad of voices recite Milton was simultaneously startling and soothing. While some recited with ardor, emphasizing the dramatics of Satan’s flight in exaggerated syllables, others read smoothly and relied on the power of Milton’s words to convey meaning. Indeed, every word in “Paradise Lost” is saturated with meaning. And on that day, the Claremont community was able to muster an astonishing devotion to Milton’s works to do justice to the poetics of meaning.

By Julia Scheibmeir ‘12
Staff Writer

PHOTOS COURTESY OF CASSANDRA CAMPEAS

Student dancers and choreographers from around the 5C’s performed beautifully in the annual Scripps/Pomona fall dance concert, “In the Works” last weekend. The concert at Pomona’s Pendleton Dance Studio offered 13 pieces in many styles of dance, including West African, Hula, Japanese, Modern and Ballet.

Many of the choreographers were able to combine their talents by integrating their academic studies into their creative process. Student choreographer, Ava Untermeyer (PZ ’13) based her piece on the short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman called “The Yellow Wallpaper.” The dancers’ spine chilling gestures and facial expressions represent the angst and mounting paranoia of an oppressed housewife confined to her home. Untermeyer defines a choreographer as a “sculptor of live material” and likens setting choreography on dancers to playing with dolls.

Cassandra Campeas, a graduating student choreographer from Pitzer, was able to blend her interests in dance, photography and fashion. Her dancers were charming witches in a trance who playfully absorbed one another’s power. Cassandra describes choreography as “a different kind of involvement than dancing, because you’re watching your art in front of you. It almost makes you more passionate because you can focus on your creation from an outside perspective.”

Also with a piece in the show was Duncan, a Scripps senior and editor of voice. Duncan feels that she can recognize good choreography having learned a lot from her experiences—including five semesters of choreographing for the Scripps/Pomona dance show. She has been through the frenzy of taking notes whenever inspiration strikes her and even dreaming about her piece. This semester she fully realized the importance of costumes and their affect on the dance’s message.

Jessica Harris, who also choreographed a piece in the show, attended Pomona and left for seven years to dance with the Shen Wei Dance Company. This year she returned to finish her senior year and is also teaching dance classes.

Putting on a dance performance is a collaborative effort between students and dance faculty. The student choreographers begin with inspiration for a piece and choose their dancers at an open audition. During the three months of weekly rehearsals everyone’s input is considered and the original idea can sometimes transform dramatically. The tech and lighting crew adds the final sparkle to the show and, as was the case in all four of last week’s shows, a lively and appreciative audience confirms the success of the performance.

Auditions for the spring dance concert will be held in January, and the not-to-be-missed final performance will take place in April in Garrison Theater at Scripps.