The Scripps Voice

Edinburgh, Scotland: The city is the campus and the people are the professors

By Liz Lyon ’12
Guest Writer

The Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland is filled with winding streets, narrow closes and houses all jumbled close together. Edinburgh is famous for its Jekyll-and-Hyde like atmosphere because the New Town puts up a brave, clean face, while the Old Town is the traditional haunt of debauchery. Like the old parts of any European city, you have to watch where you walk; you could stumble on a misplaced cobblestone, dog excrement or a few questionable puddles of liquid. There is a duality in the streets of the Old Town themselves; some are broad and bright, while others are dark and wind through gargantuan tunnels, creating a true under city to complement the high, Victorian-style buildings up above.

Three other internationals and I wandered around the Grassmarket, site of all the city’s executions and just below the Hogwarts-esque Edinburgh Castle, looking for a pub with live music. It was a Friday night, and we spied a caravan that sold crepes just down the lane. French cuisine was a bit out-of-place in Edinburgh, but there are a lot of things you won’t expect to find, like Turkish kebab joints, library-themed pubs, and churches that have been converted into furniture stores. As we were waiting in line for crepes, one of the other customers asked my friend in a drunken slur of words, “Cannae take yer botes off tonnae?” Apparently he was propositioning her, but I could barely distinguish one word from another. We quickly popped into the Last Drop for a drink – like elsewhere in Europe, the legal drinking age is 18, so getting into a pub was not a problem at all – and then talked about Edinburgh and home.

Edinburgh is almost the polar opposite of Scripps. It’s a fairly metropolitan city, has a huge university and my experience here has been one gigantic blur of people and city and getting to know it. Independence is the key here, and it seems to spread into every walk of life. Students aren’t coddled: everything from figuring out meals to classes, they have to figure out for themselves. Professors give you a list of suggested reading and then expect you to keep up and follow up on the work on your own. With club meetings, you usually meet up at a pub and have a social night, which makes all events have this “public” feeling to them.

Getting to classes on time requires a bit more effort; the longest walk to my class I’ve had at Scripps was 15 minutes. Here, 15 minutes is about average commute time to class, and if I want to get to the other side of the city where the museums are, it’s about a 20 or 30 minute walk. The whole city seems to be distended; you walk everywhere, and once things are out of your mile-orbit, it becomes a pain to have to walk far or to figure out how to use the bus system.

Despite any of my negative comments about Edinburgh, it is such a refreshing change from Scripps – all of the people, the events, the independence. Negatives can turn out to be positive, as well, as my walks have given me the chance to really see the city and the people. Not to be too démodé, but the city is the campus, and the people the professors. I’ve only been here a few weeks, but already I can feel that the experience has broadened my knowledge, my experience and my maturity so much more than spending this semester at Scripps ever could have done.

By Winona Bechtle ‘14
Staff Writer

I think we can all agree that good live music is the perfect addition to a hot October night. On Friday, October 1st, six-time Grammy Award winner John Legend played an acoustic concert at Pomona’s Bridges Auditorium. Attended by a medley of students and community members alike, the show was a spectacular addition to the list of events that Bridges Auditorium has held in the past and exposed an entire community to the lyrics, song style, and all-around brilliant performance of a real artist.

Following on the heels of his new album “Wake Up!” released September 21st, 2010, Legend performed songs both old and new during the show. He graced the audience with some of his more popular songs such as “Used To Love You” and “Alright” as well as throwing in some of his deeper cuts.

During the show the mood of his performance would vary depending on the nature of the song, but all in all he kept up a very lively pace throughout, considering he was playing an entirely acoustic set with only a piano at his fingertips. At various moments he would spur the crowd to start clapping or sing a refrain to some of his bigger hits, which helped to liven up a very packed room.

Legend seemed well aware of the fact that the majority of the crowd was composed of college students, and really did his best to keep the energy high and the songs lively. The show also attracted a number of community members who recognized what an opportunity it was to see John Legend play a set so close to home.

Legend’s album “Wake Up!” was collaborative effort with group The Roots, who provided a number of rap contributions and samplings on the album. With the exception of one song, Legend’s new album is composed of entirely cover songs that often carry a very political charge with them. Though no political messages were evident in the show, the more “charged” songs Legend performed demonstrated a passion that could be felt in the very back of the auditorium.

As amazing as Legend’s newer cuts were on the October 1st show, nothing got the crowd going quite like his contemporary classics “Ordinary People” and “PDA.” It appeared obvious that Legend knew these were crowd pleasers and the energy was palpable in the room as he expertly arranged and re-arranged the notes in these two songs. “Ordinary People” was performed relatively early in the show, and “PDA” served as one of the two encore pieces Legend came out to play as a result of the excited chants of the crowd.

Anyone in attendance of a John Legend show must come in with an appreciation for technical ability. The way in which Legend played his songs made one forget that an entire band was not backing him. The combination of the polished piano and his resonant voice was more than enough to get an audience through an evening just as easily as if there had been a 12 piece band on-stage.

By Ashli Duncan ’11
Opinions & Editorials Editor

Scripps Associated Students (SAS) opened the new Student Union on October 3^rd, when excited students came to see the new and improved space. Stacks of pizza and cake filled the Union, now located where SARLO used to be on the second floor of the Malott Commons. With the addition of the new Student Union, SAS hopes to help build community on campus. Students can access the Student Union 24 hours a day by swiping their Scripps student I.D. card. Students have access to computers, butcher paper, markers, pens and the screen press for free. There are three conference rooms, with one boasting a TV for private showings. CLORGs can sign up to utilize the space for meetings—5C Clubs are welcome as well.

The Student Union needs students to make their mark on it soon. “The Student Union has a lot of potential, but it’s empty right now. If everyone made some sort of decoration or contributed something it would look really good,” said Sara Cronin (’12). Any photos from CLORG events are welcome as they can be blown up and displayed.

There are few places on campus where the students have control over how the space is decorated. The Student Union needs to be defined by the student. “We want your art in the Student Union,” said India Mullady ‘11, SAS President. The artwork is not to beautify the Student Union but to help make it meaningful to the students. Although SAS is waiting on a few things such as a printer, another couch and few white boards, they wanted to provide this space for Scripps students as soon as feasibly possible. The Student Union is specifically for students; even faculty members are not allowed to enter without a student accompanying them. But for now the Student Union is only a space that has some great wicker rocking chairs, a few tables and rolling chairs. “Once the space has character I’ll study there, but for now it reminds me too much of the library.” said Bre’Anca Sanders (’11).

Some students question if the Student Union is necessary. “It’s an odd space with the Motley right there. And the Motley has music and food,” said Alyssa Mello (’12). With 80% of students asking for the Student Union in a survey it seems like the Motley isn’t serving all the needs of the student body. Yet the bare walls and silence aren’t exactly a draw for students. It is up to the student to change the space, hold study session in one of the conference rooms, or create a poster for an event or screen press a t-shirt. The community that everyone at Scripps craves is possible with the new Student Union.

By Ashli Duncan ’11
Opinions & Editorials Editor

As part of the Humanities Institute program “Engagement: Mind, Body, and Soul,” Whiz Kids, directed by Tom Shepard, was screened in Garrison Theater last Tuesday. The film follows three high school students as they prepare for The Intel Science Talent Search, a prestigious science competition that awards the top scientists a grand prize of $100,000. Each year, over two thousand students compete for prizes totaling more than $1.5 million. In the end, forty finalists travel to Washington D.C. to present their science projects and go through extensive interviews.

The students featured in the documentary come from a variety of backgrounds and communities. However, they are all driven by a passion for science research. The students undertook a number of impressive research projects, including paleotology, botany , and environmental contaminants.

The documentary emphasized that the students in the film are defined by the pursuit of science; little else is important to them. The documentary is impassioned in nature. For the students, science encompasses their identity, so when their theories are challenged they seem to lose themselves. One student scientist said, “I don’t want to do things other teens do because it just doesn’t look like fun.”

These students are doing research that many adults in the same field have yet to develop. This must-see film is an inspiring account of student acheivements in the field of science. These students are amazingly dedicated, and are living proof that hard work pays off, and sometimes in unconventional ways.

By Anna Petkovich ’14
Features Editor

A few weekends ago, my friend and I found ourselves in a Pitzer dorm room with a bunch of guys. It was loud, smelled a little funny, and there was a giant container of protein powder on the counter – yet it still was quite a refreshing change of scene. This was because for a month prior, in the midst of beginning the school year and adjusting to college life, I had been surrounded by girls. Nonstop.

A similar experience occurred during a recent visit to UC Santa Barbara. I was sitting with a friend in her dorm room (in a co-ed hall) when a boy popped through the open door to say hello. It was like seeing an exotic bird. Something as simple as boys walking down the hallways is a novelty to me, and yet commonplace to the college experience of so many others.

I had not thought much about attending a women’s college before arriving at Scripps. The education would be fantastic, the campus is beautiful, so would lack of the opposite sex really matter in the end? It’s not like boys are that far away, I assured others and myself.

I also had not thought much about boys being an integral part of my daily life prior to college. Not only in class, but also in social settings they were ever-present to provide a perspective, sense of humor, and general way of going about life that was simply different than that of my female friends. This difference, which I had previously taken for granted, is what I’ve missing in my time at Scripps so far.

As my frustrated mind mulled over how to put into words my experience of adjusting to a women’s college, I came to the conclusion that despite how many times in recent weeks I have equated boys to rare birds or found myself suddenly in sight of one and without a conversation skill to my name, going to a women’s college is awesome.

According to a 2008 survey by the Women’s Colleges Coalition, students of women’s colleges are twice as likely to hold leadership positions at their school as students of other liberal arts colleges. And 53 percent of alumnae of women’s colleges had gone on to graduate school, compared with 38 percent of students from other liberal arts colleges. As future graduates of a women’s college we will think more analytically, be more adept at problem solving, be more politically and socially aware, and write more effectively (Writing 50, yeah!).

Perks such as these mean I can forego passing boys in the hallways of my dorm and accept that being forced to be extra outgoing now will assure me some male company, and also be good for me in the long run. Besides, if boys were around, it would be a lot more difficult to secure the TV room for Gossip Girl on Monday nights.

By Nikki Broderick ’14

This fall, 264 new freshmen arrived at orientation to being their journey as students at Scripps College. These women come from 33 states, including Hawaii, Alaska, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. Although 35% are from California, 15% of the students hail from the east coast. With 264 total students, the class of 2014 marks one of the largest classes in school history.  This new group of students includes students from 11 countries outside the United States, spanning from Myanmar to Thailand. This year also marks the largest number of transfer students joining the Scripps community: 24 in total, three of them being international transfer students. While our students have achieved much academically, including taking numerous AP, IB, and college courses while enrolled in high school, the diverse class of 2014 also has many other talents and hobbies. The women that joined the Scripps community this fall have donated hair to Locks of Love, participated in various varsity sports, acted in many plays and traveled across the globe to volunteer and help others; one is a luge champion and another can even lick her elbow. These fresh faces will certainly bring fun and excitement while we build community and celebrate the genius of women throughout the year.

Madeline Barnes
Hometown: Kenmore, Washington (Lakeside School)

Potential Major: Double Major in Biochemistry and Classics

Extracurricular Activites: Athena’s Basketball, Crepes for a Cause, S.W.E.E.T.

Fun Fact: Spent one month in India living with a host family summer 2008

Favorite Shows: Glee, Modern Family, How I Met Your Mother, Criminal Minds

Favorite Quote: “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity us down new paths.” – Walt Disney

Leah Soffer

Hometown: River Forrest, Illinois (Oak Park River Forrest High School)

Potential Major: Double Major in Dance & Psychology

Extracurricular Activities: Psi Chi, S.W.E.E.T, active member of Hillel, participating in Pomona-Scripps Dance Concert in Winter 2010

Fun Fact: Traveled to the Arctic for a semester science course field study in summer 2009

Hobbies: Jigsaw puzzles, Sudoku, KenKen

Favorite Quote: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” –Eleanor Roosevelt

Kat Arenella
Hometown: Los Angeles, California (Harvard-Westlake)

Potential Major: Psychology or Music

Extracurricular Activities: After School Special (an a Capella group), Concert Choir

Hobbies: singing, acting, reading magazines

Fun Fact: Wants to learn how to play the harp!

Sarah Loebner

Hometown: Los Altos, California (Los Altos High School)

Potential Major: Biology

Extracurricular Activities: Ultimate Frisbee, Kosher Chords, active member of Hillel

Fun Facts: Sarah can make anyone laugh by the sound her of own laughter and has a deep emotional connection with her pet hermit crab, Scot Lee.

Hobbies: Doodling, singing, napping, tennis, puzzles

Leslie Sachs
Hometown: Lincoln, Massachusetts (The River School)

Potential Major: Undecided

Extracurricular Activities: Habitat for Humanity, Rotaract

Hobbies: Drawing, running, painting with all the colors of the wind, singing with all the voices of the mountains

Fun Fact: Performed community service in Costa Rica sophomore year with Global Works

By KC Mautner ’12
Co-Editor-in-Chief

In spring 2009, the Council of Presidents at the 5Cs, in an effort to save money, decided to close the two science libraries on the campuses—Sprague Library at Harvey Mudd and Seely G. Mudd Library at Pomona—and consolidate resources housed at those two libraries at Honnold Mudd. The presidents planned to keep Denison Library at Scripps open for one more year before ceasing to fund services and staff in 2010. Under this plan, Denison would close and its circulation books would be transferred to Honnold Mudd. In the spring of 2010, however, the Scripps Board of Trustees decided to keep the Kaufmann wing of Denison open for one more year, with Scripps supporting the Denison staff and program emphasizing special collections.

However, luckily for both Scripps and the 5Cs, Denison will stay open, with no plans to close the library on the horizon. The infrastructure of the building, however, is 80 years old, and requires extensive renovations. According to the plan announced in the spring of 2010, starting in summer 2011, Scripps will begin renovating the electricity and plumbing systems, and add an elevator to the Dorothy M. Drake wing on the north side of the building to improve accessibility. It is likely that once the wing has been renovated, it will serve as a space for academic programs.

In the meantime, the building and its myriad resources—including its rare book collections—remain open for use by anyone in the community, and especially students at the 5Cs. The reserve readings at Denison have been transferred to Honnold Mudd, but Denison maintains browsing collections of books, especially ones on women’s studies and over 30 journals. Judy Harvey Sahak (’64), the Sally Preston Swan Librarian at Denison, emphasized that such collections are for the use of the students, and can also be integrated into course curriculums. “We want to have continuity for students at Denison,” said Sahak.

On Oct. 21 and 22, Denison will host a book sale in its courtyard, and will continue to grant the Slocum Awards each spring, given to the graduating seniors who have assembled the best personal libraries during their four years at Scripps.

Denison is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to midnight, Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday from noon to 5 p.m., and Sunday from noon to midnight.

A Question Scripps Students Should Not Have to Ask

By Catherine Schetina ’14
Staff Writer

Recently, all of campus has been buzzing with pride over Forbes’ ranking of Scripps as the fourth most beautiful campus in the world. While certainly an honorable distinction, it may be time for the Scripps administration to step back and think about what is being sacrificed in order to get that coveted ranking.

I’m certainly not arguing that Scripps isn’t beautiful, or that it isn’t lovely to go to school at such an elegant establishment. In fact, part of the reason I wanted to come to Scripps was because of the sense of calm and peace I felt when I walked on the campus. And I do believe that the environment a person influences the way they learn. Having countless tranquil gardens to choose from for conversations or homework is a bonus of being a Scripps student, and ties into the way learning is addressed here as a holistic and enriching experience.

That being said, students don’t come to Scripps to admire the shrubbery. Wouldn’t a more worthy distinction be an award for the number of Fulbright Scholars we have? Or the number of students involved in community service? It seems that the ranking places unnecessary worth on our appearance, a fact that, as women, society has already done a very thorough job of, and which is the idea that the Scripps administration is trying to undo in all their work here at school? Or is it simply an inescapable fact that we are valued based on the way the world sees us?

Granted, this is not the point of the list; the rest of the ranked schools were co-ed institutions, so it is not a case of societal bias. However, as a women’s college, I feel that Scripps should be more careful in the value they place on other people’s judgments of our image.

Additionally, there is the immense concern over the impact on the environment that maintaining this beauty brings about. In a study by The Roberts Environmental Center of Claremont McKenna College that looked at the amount of information available to students about sustainability on the school website, Scripps was ranked in the bottom five of the country. While the school has responded with the formation of a Sustainability Committee, this seems to be a reaction more out of concern for bad press then actual concern about Scripps’ environmental impact. In an era of global warming and a California drought, it seems absurdly irresponsible to waste thousands of gallons of water to ensure that we have lush green landscaping. I doubt that any horrible fate would befall us all if we had a few brown spots on the lawns, or if we followed Pitzer’s example of introducing native, drought-resistance California plants on campus.

This careless waste of resources, coupled with the rumor that we have more groundskeepers than professors here, indicates that Scripps has lost site of its true purpose. We’re here to learn, not for a Home & Garden magazine shoot. If Scripps can find a way to maintain the beauty of the campus while remembering to place more weight on academics than image and being environmentally responsible, that Forbes ranking would be a lot more meaningful.

By Emily Hanna ‘12
Staff Writer

Claremont McKenna College’s infamous Thursday Night Club (TNC) is slated to return this month, after a brief suspension by the CMC Dean of Students and Campus Security. CMC’s administration is working on altering their alcohol policy to change the school’s party-school image, thus affecting the stability of TNC and causing turbulence in its status.

Last year, TNC was cancelled due to outbreaks of violence among students and damages to the school. It was then made CMC exclusive for some time, and was then again canceled this September. TNC — or what was once “Hubdingers” —was started by Scripps students in the 1960s and 70s before CMC went co-ed.

The event was one of few dance parties on campus at the time for Scripps women to acquaint themselves with students from the other colleges. To this day, TNC’s ability to attract crowds from all campuses and kick off each weekend with a bang makes it a keystone of 5C interaction.

As a first-year, friendships among Scripps students are often made when dressing up for the theme of a given TNC while swapping clothes and stories. The party itself sets the scene for the making of long lasting (or one-night) off-campus friendships.

As an upperclasswoman, the novelty of TNC has worn off with time as students find newer ways to have fun, though the event is still appreciated as a venue to simply dance off academic stress.

Other CMC traditions involving alcohol, such as Madrigal, are under threat, and in order to preserve these long-standing traditions of Princeton Review’s ranking of CMC as the “happiest school” in the country, students are forming letter writing campaigns and petitions in resistance.

However, it looks as if one Claremont tradition —TNC—is here to stay, and will be 5C welcome starting this month.

By Heidi Hong ‘12
Arts & Entertainment Editor

Last Friday, Canadian acoustic-folk duo Dala performed at Scripps College for a mixed audience of students, faculty and community members as part of the Levitt on the Lawn series.

Dala opened the concert under drizzling rain, strumming a guitar ballad version of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance.” The rain did not deter the audience, who waited patiently with towels over their heads for the promised Californian sun to resurface. As the rain stopped, the yellow-tinged clouds receded to reveal a sky painted blue, an ethereal landscape to match Dala’s lush, dreamlike sound.

Sheila Carabine and Amanda Walther befriended each other in their high school band class and created the name Dala by combining the last two letters of their first names. They began composing two years after becoming friends. Since then, Dala has produced five albums, garnered multiple awards, and performed at a number of venues across Canada. Dala has opened for artists such as Chantal Kreviazuk, Tom Cochrane, and Matthew Good. Most recently, the duo performed on PBS

Scripps College is only one stop in Dala’s first tour of Southern California. “My face has never seen so much Vitamin D,” Walther said. The pair enjoyed their days off in Santa Monica. “It’s the most beautiful place I’ve been,” Carabine said.

Dala’s songs are inspired by a variety of topics ranging from the desire to be perfect, a friend’s unfortunate romance with a hockey player and Canadian landscapes. “Horses,” a melancholy and wistful piano ballad, is dedicated to a man who suffered severe injuries after a car accident and persevered in spite of adversity.

The duo also played a number of classic folk covers, including a haunting rendition of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” and “Red is the Rose,” a soft, ethereal cover of a traditional Irish folk song.

According to Carabine and Walther, they collaborate on all of their original songs. “The advantage is that we end up having two minds and two different creative forces to bring to the table,” Walther said. “We hold each other to high standards with lyrics and melody, and we have the exact same taste in music, which is great,” added Carabine.

Indeed, Carabine’s alto and Walther’s soprano harmonize beautifully in songs such as “Levi Blues,” a simultaneously wistful and upbeat tune about the downs of travelling and leaving their significant others behind.

The pair said that their friendship has only strengthened after sharing so much together as coworkers. “We go to everything together. No one else can really understand what I’m going through except for Amanda,” Carabine said. “We share the lead, we share the songwriting, we share everything completely equally and it’s humbling,” Walther added.

The show attracted a diverse audience from the Claremont community, including faculty, staff, small children and pets. The concert was sponsored by Levitt Pavilions, a nationwide nonprofit art program that provides free outdoor concerts for the community. Elizabeth Levitt Hirsch SCR ’74, sponsor of the series, said that the most important aspect of the program is bringing diverse people together through art. “Everybody came together, peaceful; it was idyllic and gorgeous,” she said.

Because Levitt Hirsch wanted to stay close to her alma mater, she made efforts to bring Levitt Pavilion to Scripps. “We created something called Levitt on the Lawn, so these brilliant students on campus, the talented and forward-thinking women, could experience Levitt,” Levitt Hirsch said.

Dala’s most recent album “Everyone Is Someone” was released in June 2009.