The Scripps Voice

By Lauren Prince ’14
News Editor

On May 20, the state of Arizona passed House Bill 2281, stating that ethnic studies classes are to be banned from public schools and that students “should be taught to treat and value each other as individuals and not be taught to resent or hate other races or classes of people.” The language of the bill implies that by teaching ethnic studies, students will be more aware and disrespectful towards others’ differences as opposed to retaining a better, deeper understanding of cultures that make and create the United States.

Originally, ethnic studies classes started as a result of the No Child Left Behind mandate to fill academic gaps. Many students enjoyed learning the history of other cultures, and gained valuable insights from such studies.

Many ethnic studies educators and students all over the country are extremely upset by the law and doing everything they can to appeal the bill. For example, teachers in Arizona are continuing to teach ethnic studies classes such as Mexican American Studies in history, literature and art, from elementary school to high school despite the law. They believe that the students have everything to gain and very little to lose. They hope that such defiance will prove their perspective.

Many Scripps students are uncomfortable with the law as well. “I attended a lecture at Pomona by two of the teachers that were teaching Ethnic Studies courses in Arizona and I felt extremely upset about the issue,” said Sara Estevez Cores (’13).

As a result, the five colleges have teamed up to protest the bill. Cores and Jennifer Mathai (’12) have rounded up supporters including Café con Leche students, ELA students, SCORE, CLSA, and CEC.

“We are trying to make people aware of the HB2281 and to take action on it,” said Cores. As a result, the week of Nov. 29 will be Raise Awareness Week for House Bill 2281. There will be a presentation at the Motley by faculty on Tuesday, a fund-raising event with Mariachis, Mexican costumes, and tacos on Wednesday, and a Call for Action March on Friday. Attendance is encouraged. For more information about the Arizona bill, please go to www.SaveEthnicStudies.org.

By Chelsea Carlson ’14
Web Assistant

Growing up in a pocket of racial homogeneity, I experienced racial diversity as a child in a very distant context. I’ve always been a bit self-conscious about this lack of exposure to diverse racial and ethnic groups, striving to participate in the discussion fully in order to become more aware and educated on the topic.

The film shown at the Motley last Tuesday as part of SCORE’s Ally Week, Mirrors of Privilege: Making Whiteness Visible, first sought to show the ways in which white people are often exposed to racism early on, many as young children, and how racism is often passed through generations this way. The focus of the film, however, was on the issue of whites acknowledging that race influences their lives too. As the film asked the difficult questions surrounding the issue of acknowledging the inherent privileges of whiteness, it became increasingly personal, pushing me to acknowledge at least a fraction of the things I take for granted being white. As one woman put it, “I wake up every morning and think ‘I’m a black person,’” and then posing the question to her white counterparts asking if they could say the same.

While not a comprehensive look at the issue of acknowledgement of whiteness in America, this film, combined with an excellent short discussion session, did serve its purpose by getting me and I’m sure other Ally Week participants to venture out of our comfort zones, asking us to question all the assumptions we have about equality, especially regarding opportunities for education and work.

Eliza Silverman  ’14
Copy Editor

I plan my daily schedule here at Scripps College around food, and I am not ashamed to admit this in the least. My appreciation for the school’s delicious cuisine stems from my mother’s ventures with tofu throughout my senior year of high school—don’t get me wrong, I can appreciate a good stir fry, but I absolutely draw the line at tofu tart which, I kid you not, is the woman’s idea of dessert.

But I digress: Claremont food is the floss, the cream, the boss, the dream (what’s up Snoop Dogg). How many other schools offer a weekly tea, bi-weekly snack and omelets cooked not from powder, but from certifiable hen-hatched eggs? We are truly blessed. So, imagine my delight when I discovered in the second week of school (embarrassing, I know) that we could eat at all the other dining halls! From that point on on, my week revolved around Taco Tuesday at Pitzer (be still my beating heart), Muddgolian night at Harvey Mudd on Thursdays and Sushi Fridays at Scripps, the home base. My adoration for Claremont food hardly ends here. No, you truly have not experienced fine dining until you have ventured to one of the many eateries chartered by each school. I assume that at least 95 percent of Scripps students are addicted to the Motley for a multitude of reasons, the chief of which is caffeine. For the five percent averse to the Motley’s allure, more power to you. As a proud owner of zero Flex dollars, I only wish I were in your position. But let’s expand our horizons to the various cafes around the 5C’s. If you have yet to discover them, look no further, for I’m here to inform.

The closest eatery to Scripps Campus (other than the Motley, of course) is Harvey Mudd’s “Jay’s Place,” commonly referred to under the alias “Muddhole.” The Muddhole has an amazing array of sandwiches and is open until two in the morning, which is a definite plus. My recommendations are the “Isaac Newton” or “Galileo” sandwiches. I have yet to sample other items from the fairly extensive menu, but for a general reference, the Muddhole has candy, a variety of soft drinks and Gatorade, chips and a plethora of oven-cooked items.

The Hub at CMC is also fairly close to Scripps, and boasts pool tables and televisions. Their curly fries are fire, but that’s the extent of my encounters with the Hub. I also have yet to experience Pitzer’s cafes, The Shakedown and The Grovehouse, but my roommate frequents the latter and raves about a certain “turkey sandwich with chipotle sauce, avocado, lettuce, tomato and onion.”

I’d rather discuss my absolute favorite establishment: The Coop at Pomona. The Coop is both aesthetically pleasing and home to the most extensive and delicious menu: everything from sandwiches to baked goods to nachos to milkshakes can be found at the Coop. I recommend their mint chocolate chip milk shake. Another thing I love about the Coop is the eclectic factor: especially on the late-night, there are always people to see and meet.

I love the food on the 5C’s the way that Harry loves Ginny, that fat kid on Matilda loves cake and Kanye West loves himself. Which is to say—a lot! It is going to be a long winter break.

By KC Mautner ‘12 & Lauren Prince ‘14
Co-Editor-in-Chief & News Editor

On Nov. 10, Geert Criel, the Belgium Consul General to the United States in Los Angeles, spoke at the European Union Center at Scripps on the topic of the EU after the Lisbon Treaty. The EU Center at Scripps traditionally invites the representing presidency of the EU to speak about the Union’s current state. The presidency of the EU rotates every six months; Belgium, who is currently president of the EU, took on this position on July 1.

Signed in 2007 in Lisbon, Portugal and put in force in 2009, the Lisbon Treaty defines the constitutional basis of the EU and what lies inside and outside of its jurisdiction.

Since Belgium took control of the EU presidency, there has been a renewed emphasis on climate control, an expansion of the Union and more focus on trade and economic issues. The EU has created a bank stress test to measure financial institutions’ capability of responding to a financial meltdown, in the hopes that a financial meltdown similar to Greece’s can be avoided in the future. The EU has also adopted a fairly stringent bailout policy, stating that member nations are only required to help other member nations in the event of an economic crisis. The Union recently agreed to a trade agreement with South Korea that will go into effect in Aug. 2011. Talks have also been underway between Belgium and Croatia regarding Croatia’s accession to membership in the EU.

During his talk, Criel emphasized building a transatlantic relationship between the United States and Europe. Criel also gave background on the European Union and its global importance. One of the defining characteristics of the EU is its rotating presidency, which works to advance legislation that might otherwise not get approved under a single president. The EU accounts for 30 percent of the world’s gross domestic product, and its bilateral trade of approximately $2 billion per day accounts for 25 percent of total world trade.

Criel has been the Consul General of Belgium in L.A. for two years. Previous to this post, he had worked in Rome, Brussels, Tel Aviv and Washington D.C. Other Consul Generals present at Criel’s talk included representatives from Germany, Hungary, France, Spain, Croatia, Romania and Greece. To learn more about the European Union Center at Scripps, please visit eucenter.scrippscollege.edu.

by Catherine Parker Sweatt ‘12
Staff Writer

voice: Have there been any challenges as a woman working in the art world and/or in academia?

Laurie Fendrich: Numbers do tell, as they say. There’s no question that although there’s been progress, women do not have parity with men in the academic world, [nor in] the art world. Some of this is clearly due to prejudice, some is simply a byproduct of the fact that most women choose to have children and children are a distraction from ambitious work. The ambition of many women—either by nature, or by choice—tends to ease somewhat once they have children.  Bacon was right—children are hostages to fortune. That said, I must add that having children deepens the experience of life, and I in no way regret having had a child even if it meant it slowed down my ambition.

voice: Do you believe there is still a need for women’s educational institutions in America today?

LF: “Need” is a big word. I prefer “room for.” There’s room for women’s educational institutions because we have all sorts of educational options in the United States, and there are still many young women—and probably will be for the foreseeable future—for whom the particular experience of mostly being with other women during college, and particularly in college classrooms, helps them bloom. It was certainly true for me.

voice: Do you have any words of wisdom for your students at Hofstra that you would like to share with the Scripps student body?

LF: Aha! I think of myself as continually spewing out words of wisdom! That’s a sort of joke—I  blather on in my studio courses, at least in part because I think young people get a lot by hearing older (and presumably wiser) people ruminate on a wide range of subjects. I think the thrust of mass culture is such that it shoves older generations out of the way, and makes everything about the youthful present. That’s good, in a way—it’s fun and exciting to be young. But it’s bad as well, if only because it gets boring, and is severely constricting, for young people to hear only the ideas of other young people.

voice: You work within the tradition of modernist abstraction. At the same time, you say that you are searching to make something original in your paintings. In our time, there is a compulsion to create what’s new and never-has-been, but at the same time we’re told it’s all been done. What would you say to the young artist about being situated in time and the compulsion for novelty?

LF: Paradoxically, of course, most contemporary art looks pretty much as if it’s contemporary art. So the compulsion to come up with something new is leading straight to conformity. I often quote Schiller to the effect that it’s important for an artist to be part of his times, but not crushed by them. There are a lot of unexamined, accepted dictates out knocking around in the heads of artists, old and young, that are absolute rubbish. I find it arrogant to insist that originality is over and done with. The style of a good artist derives from a particular temperament that, if matched with some talent, and the decision to work in a medium that matches the temperament, will almost automatically generate something that feels new—even if it isn’t actually new. In other words, the goal of artists ought to be to develop a style, over time.

voice: I stand in awe of your ability to switch between the written and visual arts. You say that the challenge of abstract painting and drawing is having wit. How do you cultivate this wit and restraint? Where do you draw inspiration for these two factors in your art and writing?

LF: This is all a bit flattering for someone who stands in awe of the truly great wits I encounter in both art and life—from Jane Austen in the past, to Eddie Izzard or Tina Fey (I’m thinking of the wit in their faces!) in the present. I can only say that visual wit came alive in art with modernism. I’ll add that I believe in living an ordered life—with a dash of chaos to it. It’s absolutely essential for an artist. Too much chaos destroys an artist.

voice: In your interview with Julie Karabenick you say that art can affirm things rather than question them. What does your art affirm?

LF: I think my art affirms an old, nearly forgotten principle: Despite evil and tragedy, it’s both more just and noble to remember that which is beautiful and good than to dwell on that which is ugly and bad. That’s what my art affirms.

Laurie Fendrich is an abstract painter and Professor of Fine Art at Hofstra University; her retrospective, Sense and Sensation is at the Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery until December 19, 2010. She resides in New York City. Laurie also blogs for the Journal of Higher Education’s blog Brainstorm. You can read her thoughts on everything from DaVinci to Jane Austen at http://chronicle.com/blogs/brainstorm/author/lfendrich.

By Ina Herlihy ’14
News Editor

Richard L. Berke, The New York Times National Editor, met with three newspaper editors and a radio correspondent to discuss the Times’ mid-term election coverage, and other aspects of journalism, before speaking to students at Pomona’s Rose Hill Theatre on Nov. 9.

Berke explained how The New York Times assigned a reporter to follow the Tea Party Movement across the country for the past year.

“I was pushing the reporter at the end of the summer to write a story about the power of the tea party movement,” said Berke. “How will they do in November do we think? How strong are they? She came back to me and said that it’s not all that black and white. They have some terrible candidates, that are going to cost Republicans there seat in November, but then they have some really strong candidates. She said, ‘I know you want a really clear narrative, of me being the expert and what this means, but it’s not that simple.’ I said I never want anybody to try and make something simplistic that isn’t simplistic. So she wrote something nuanced that talked about the strengths and weaknesses.”

Berke shared his own anecdotes about reporting, such as his article focusing on former President Clinton telling others that then Vice President Gore was not a good campaigner, while he was running for the presidency.

“I wrote the story and had a lot of anonymous sources because no one wanted to go on the record,” said Berke. “I called one of the President’s aides to give them a heads up of what was coming. An hour later I get on the [phone with] a guy from the White House. I say, ‘I can’t talk to you, I am on with the copy desk in New York.’ He says, ‘the President is here and wants to talk to you.’ I found out later that [the White House's] view was that by calling me back, it would nib the story in the butt. [Clinton's] objective was to have a quick conversation with me to tell me that he and Gore get along great, and then hang up. My objective was that how often do you get the President of the United States on the phone? So my objective was to keep him on the phone for as long as possible. It was a weird situation because I was typing everything, however I couldn’t let there be a pause in the conversation — that would give him an opening to hang up. I was right on deadline, so I had to get the story done right away. On the other hand I had the President so I wanted to keep him for as long as I could. I end up keeping him on the phone for 25 minutes and got him to say all this stuff. So he said, ‘I used to be concerned about Gore’s political skills, but he has gotten a lot better.’ Instead of anonymous quotes, I have the President of the United States as a source. [This article] set the tone for that whole campaign in many ways. The sub plot for that campaign was the tense relationship between Clinton and Gore, and Gore not liking Clinton, and Clinton not having faith in his Vice President.”

A few days later Berke spoke with former Republican Presidential Nominee Bob Dole, who ran against Clinton, about his wife’s bid for the 2000 Republican Presidential Nomination.

“I said, ‘how is your wife’s campaign going?’” said Berke. “He said, ‘well she’s getting better.’ He repeated everything Clinton said about Gore, about his wife. He was saying she needs to get better political skills. I am thinking of giving money to John McCain instead. Then I wrote that story and that became a sensation. You have the tension between the Dole and Gore and Clinton. Those stories had traction for weeks and weeks and weeks, if not months. [Dole] was a serious contender for the Republican nomination. If your own husband can’t support you, then you are not going to make it as the nominee. She probably wouldn’t have anyway, but that dried up all her money.”

Berke has developed interviewing tactics to receive information he desires.

“Say I have an hour for the interview,” said Berke. “I would ask some softball question, about whatever I knew they wanted to tell me. I would look very interested. I would even move the tape recorder up so I looked like I wanted to get it all down. Then my strategy would be to slowly toss off some of the other questions, without them really knowing what I was doing. Then I would ask the killer question of something specific I wanted. Then I might stop writing, because I didn’t want to give them a clue that was something I cared about, but I still had the tape recorder running. Then say oh that’s interesting. If they think you are asking just to ask, then they won’t tense up, and talk more about it. You don’t let them know what you are looking for. The smart ones might be able to figure it out, but usually they wouldn’t. The reality of what I am doing here is not about trying to mislead anyone. It is about getting to the truth. It is about trying to get them candid and answer my questions.”

By Cally Orme ’11 & Alex Tyson ‘11
Guest Writers

On Nov. 14, the New Student Program hosted an event, Sustainability at Scripps, where students had the opportunity to learn about how they can use public transportation in the Los Angeles area and what they can do to make Scripps a more sustainable community.

While many people may find public transportation in the greater Los Angeles area daunting and nearly impossible, the event was aimed at demonstrating that the system is not as hard to use as many think. Whether or not you have a car, the public transportation system gives residents the opportunity to travel throughout LA without the hassles of infamous LA traffic and the difficulty of finding and paying for parking.  Not only are these concerns alleviated, but taking the MetroLink into LA gives passengers the chance to sit back, listen to some music, read a book or chat with friends.

Lindsey Walton (‘01) was one of the two presenters at the event. She talked to the group about how to use public transportation in Los Angeles and around Claremont. Walton, who lives in downtown Los Angeles, is a huge advocate of public transportation and takes public transportation everyday to work in Claremont.  Walton told the group that public transportation in Los Angeles is like public transportation in any other city; it just takes a little more research.  Whether you want to go to the Santa Monica Pier, the LACMA or down to San Diego, you can use the Los Angeles public transportation to get there.

Walton provided handouts about using public transportation and how to get to specific locations around Los Angeles. Laura Hoverson (‘11) was surprised by her new knowledge about LA public transportation: “I never realized how many places you can explore easily in the LA area using just the MetroLink.”  The presentation was especially applicable to students at the Claremont Colleges, who have a plethora of opportunities at their fingertips with their proximity to Los Angeles, but who rarely take the opportunity to explore what the area has to offer because of the perceived constraints that come with not owning a car.

While the group discussed all the benefits of public transportation, they also noted the improvements to the public transportation system in LA that could be made to make it more accessible to students.  The main downside of the system is the hours during which the MetroLink runs.  For example, the last train into LA leaves during the weekdays at 8 p.m., which makes it difficult to enjoy the incredible nightlife that the city offers.  Although this is an unfortunate aspect of the system, day trips into LA are still a great option for those looking to explore the area outside of Claremont.  The handouts Walton provided will be available in SARLO; please stop by if you would like to learn more about how to navigate the system.

After hearing from Lindsey, Sara Zuniga (’12) spoke to the group regarding sustainability at Scripps and what groups on campus are doing to make Scripps more sustainable. Zuniga is a current Scripps student and is a member of the Scripps Sustainability Committee. She worked at Scripps this summer doing research for the committee, and she told the group what she learned through her work this summer.  Scripps is working hard to be more sustainable, but she emphasized the importance of Scripps students in contributing to the effort. Simple things such as turning off the lights when you leave your room or reporting leaky faucets or sprinklers to maintenance right away make a huge difference. Sara also talked about changes that are being made to the dining hall in order to bring in more organic and locally grown food.

Sustainability at Scripps is an important and topical issue for which each student can do his or her part, whether it’s making sure to conserve energy and recycle on campus or to use public transportation when we leave campus.  Please visit SARLO for more information about public transportation in the area, and please visit http://www.scrippscollege.edu/about/green/index.php for more information on the sustainability effort at Scripps.

By KC Mautner ’12
Co-Editor-in-Chief

The Scripps College Community Meeting on Nov. 16 addressed the College’s current budget, its expected budget for the upcoming years and how it has weathered both the economic recession and an unexpected increase in enrollment. President Lori Bettison-Varga, who led the meeting, noted that although the College is not cash-poor, it still needs to use its resources wisely.

The overarching goal of the College, as defined by the 2007 strategic vision, is for Scripps to become the premier women’s liberal arts college. Bettison-Varga listed three concrete goals of the college that are key to this vision: enrolling a talented student body, enhancing academic excellence through diversity and inclusivity, and meeting 100 percent of students’ demonstrated financial need. One of Scripps’ mainchallenges, however, is continuing to fulfill these goals during a period of economic uncertainty. The Class of 2014 is the largest class in the history of the College. This is chiefly due to an increased matriculation rate—in 2010, the yield was 32 percent, whereas it had hovered around 27 percent for the previous few years. Although an increased matriculation rate is beneficial for the College in many respects—it signifies that more and more students want to attend Scripps—it also creates both space and budget constraints, making it difficult for the College to meet 100 percent of students’ need. The “enrollment creep,” as Bettison-Varga deemed it, is responsible for the current enrollment of 941—26 higher than its target of 915.

Some “enrollment creep” on its own would not be disastrous for the College—after all, Scripps had built a budget with a $600,000 surplus to allow for some wiggle room, such as in the case of an unexpected enrollment increase. However, the College had also under-budgeted the discount rate (the interest rate charged to commercial banks on loans received from the Federal Reserve). This means that instead of a surplus, Scripps is looking at a budget deficit.

Financial aid for students—which includes merit scholarships, such as the half-tuition James E. Scripps scholarship, grants and need-based aid and self-help, such as loans and work/study— accounts for approximately $14 million of the College’s annual budget. As a point of reference, Scripps’ endowment was $11 million this year—leaving a gap of $3 million in financial aid that Scripps still needs to cover in order to meet 100 percent of students’ demonstrated financial need. Although fall 2008 was the worst point of the current economic downturn, because federal financial aid documents are completed using the prior year’s financial data, Scripps has only recently begun seeing the effects of the recession on students’ demonstrated financial need.

In order to better predict and generate a budget, Scripps has hired a consulting firm, Hardwick-Day, to model the College’s current financial aid packaging and analyze the effect of possible policy changes on the College’s budget. Specifically, the firm plans to address Scripps’ merit scholarship program (both as a percentage of the overall budget and the levels of awards), its self-help financial aid (looking at the role of loans, work/study and summer work) and an appropriate target for a discount rate.

In building the 2011-2012 budget, Scripps is working on setting and funding certain goals, including only a modest increase in tuition, room and board, funding all of students’ documented need, maintaining a student body profile that embodies Scripps’ values, modest raises for faculty and staff and addressing the College’s capital needs. The Board of Trustees has also recently established several building priorities on the Scripps campus, including new dance studios, expanded faculty office space, student housing and renovations to Denison Library.

By SAS 5C Events Chair Marta Bean ‘14

One of the awesome things about Scripps is how, as intense as we are in the classroom, we’re just as intense outside the classroom. We all know we don’t go to a party school per se, but that doesn’t mean we can’t rage like a party school. So, I’m writing this to congratulate you on your ability to work hard and party hard, and to encourage you to remind people of this if they try to tell you otherwise.

Here are some facts to dispel rumors about why Eurotrash got shut down. We did not reach capacity; there were no more people at Eurotrash this year than during past years, it’s just that the entire space was not being used up. The east side of the garage was almost empty, causing an unnatural concentration of partiers in the middle and on west side. SAS members tried to black out the fencing around where people would be waiting in line, but it was still possible to see inside—not to mention hear the music. Out of excitement and impatience, a few people in line started to push and soon after, the party got shut down.

At Eurotrash, in the awesome rage that turned to angry rage, I heard a lot of negativity. Chants of “Scripps Sucks!” came from the masses and one person’s upset comment about how they couldn’t dance anymore turning into a wave of negative energy that helped no one. Back in the line, just a few people pushing and shoving got the whole party called off an hour and a half earlier than expected. Scripps sucks, eh? I’ll let you in on a little secret—you better believe that the “pushers” in line weren’t Scripps students.

What did the “pushers” want? Well, I think it looked pretty cool in there; I don’t blame them for wanting to get in quickly. But I do blame them for feeling entitled enough to push over the barricades, nearly squash dozens of people, yell racial slurs at the hired security officer and end the night quickly for everyone.

Next time you hear someone dissing Scripps for throwing a lame party, just remember that it’s not Scripps’ fault, it’s not SAS’ fault, and it’s not my or Rachael Ballard’s fault. It’s the fault of the people pushing to get in.

So, take this example of sticking up for Scripps parties and extend it to sticking up for Scripps in general. It’s always easier to ignore negative comments and even insults in passing, but if you let yourself—or your school—get pushed around, it’s much easier to get taken advantage of. Let everyone who questions Scripps know that you’re proud to be a Scripps student, and they’ll be less inclined to mess with you about being one (not trying to be corny!).