The Scripps Voice

By Simone Maule ’14
Guest Writer

PHOTO BY BERENICE VILLELA

There are truly no words that can accurately describe the amazing combination of events that was Sexy Weekend. It started out with a fabulous lecture, Porno Chat-o: Queer and Feminist Theorizings on Pornography by Professor Chris Guzaitis on Thursday, March 31 in the SCORE Living Room. The lecture was humorous yet informative and included the best description of Second-Wave Feminism that I have ever heard. It covered everything from obscenity laws to the normative ideologies presented in mainstream porn.  Porn isn’t usually presented through an academic lens, and this lecture was the perfect introduction to that subject.

The next part of the weekend was even more fabulous: Family brought Jiz Lee, a genderqueer porn star, to conduct a workshop called “Queer Sex: Tips and Techniques.” The workshop presented a unique and informative perspective. Although the colleges have hosted workshops on queer sex before, it’s always been from an educational standpoint, rather than an experiential one. Instead of simple hearing just about how queer sex is performed and how to perform it safely, attendees were able to get feedback on specific questions and more detailed information from a professional porn star in a safe environment. The open discussion about all of the intricacies of queer sex was enlightening, because it’s not a topic that is generally discussed, nor does anyone usually want to talk about it.

On Saturday night, all of those who had gathered for the lecture on pornography (and their plus-ones!) congregated at the Motley for the screening of several episodes of “The Crash Pad,” a queer porn series. All of the various academic aspects that could be applied to porn had been discussed, but ultimately there is a huge difference between talking about porn and watching it. Bere Villela, the co-president of Family, shared some of the challenges to putting together this event: “We encountered a lot of resistance to this event,” Villela said. “Considering that 45 people showed up to the lecture, 30 to the workshop and 50 to the screening, it is obvious to us that the community wanted this. Professor Guzaitis said it best in her lecture: how can we pretend that porn is not a cultural phenomenon when the industry produces and distributes more material than Hollywood?’” Family thought long and hard about how to make this event safe, sexy, fun, productive and meaningful. They blocked off all of the windows with butcher paper, put signs on each door, instituted the ticketing system described above, and alerted the audience to the content of the scenes themselves. Leaders of Family handed out small cards with resources on campus in case anyone was negatively affected by the screening and needed support. Furthermore, the welcoming remarks reminded the audience that they had consented to being shown porn but that that consent could be terminated at any time by stepping out of the room. All in all, the screening was organized intentionally.

“I think this event could easily be seen as Family ‘just’ showing porn, but that’s not the case at all,” said Villela. The leadership team talked specifically about our motivations; we wanted to show positive and healthy representations of queer and genderqueer sex. All of the explicit scenes showed safer sex practices as well as active consent.”

Participants were also able to watch a behind-the-scenes piece where the models gave feedback on what the scene had been like for them. Said Villela, “Jiz suggested we watch that because, as they describes it, it really gave the audience insight into the negotiations and conversations that go into scripting a scene for Crash Pad. It also gave the audience an opportunity to see real people casually discuss queer sex.”

By Liz Lyon ’12
Staff Writer

COURTESY OF ALANE CALDWELL

April 10-16 marks National Student Employee Appreciation Week as recognized by the National Student Employee Association. For the second year, Career Planning & Resources (CP&R), Human Resources and Financial Aid have collaborated to celebrate the week at Scripps. This year, the College’s organizing groups have received additional support from the Mailroom and the Sally Tiernan Field House.

“Last year was great for our first celebration,” said Julie Elliott, Special Project Manager of CP&R. “But this year we wanted to give back a little more, show the students we really appreciate them.”

Last year, Student Employee Appreciation Week was a small affair, featuring intimate ways of saying thanks. This year, the Appreciation Week will be more prominent on campus. The CP&R, Human Resources and Financial Aid offices will co-sponsor a Scripps Tea on April 13 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. in the usual Seal Court location, where a thank you “quilt” will display special notes from employers and supervisors. Student employees will receive a note from President Bettison-Varga thanking them for their work, as well as a small goodie bag from supervisors.

PHOTO COURTESY OF CP&R

“CP&R will put together the bags and will ask the supervisors in every department to distribute to their student workers,” said Elliott. “This way, everyone wins. Students will receive something special, and the supervisors are able to give a token of their appreciation.”

On Friday April 15, from 3-5 p.m. the field house will host an ice cream social and pool party for all students. “This is a great addition to the week and we are thankful for the support of Tamsen Burke and Deb Gisvold,” said Elliott.

Elliott said that Student Employee Appreciation Week is important, and needs to be more prominent because of all the work students do on campus. “Students who play any role in an office have a huge impact on the work and service of that department. The College really wouldn’t be able to run without them, which is why appreciating them is so important.”

Enthusiasm for the event comes from all directions, including students. Said field house Building Manager Alli Nilsen (’12), “I think [the student appreciation week is] a great idea. We all work so incredibly hard here at Scripps with different activities, interests and jobs and I’m happy to be recognized and proud to be counted amount those students.”

For this week of events, the definition of “employee” is quite broad. It includes work study and non-work study hires, interns and student volunteers. There are more than 500 student employees at Scripps, doing odd jobs across every department and in any capacity. Although most are Scripps students, a fair number of them are from other Claremont Colleges. All of the College’s student employees will be celebrated and given tokens of appreciation.

Student employees, Elliott said, play integral parts in the running of CP&R itself. Six career consultants and a marketing intern in the CP&R office facilitate the immediate addressing of students’ needs. In addition to gaining the valuable and resume-bolstering experience of an office setting, these student employees allow CP&R’s counselors the freedom to have more formal, developed and specialized meetings with students in appointment settings.

Other student employee jobs range from Motley baristas and Williamson Gallery interns to field house managers, public relations interns, tutors, teaching assistants and resident advisors. Student employees also work in the College’s campus offices like the Registrar, Admissions and Financial Aid.

“What we really want,” said Elliott, “is to say ‘thank you’ and let students know they’re appreciated.”

By Eliza Silverman ’14
Copy Editor

PHOTOS BY ELIZA SILVERMAN.

On April 1 members of the 5Cs came out to Pomona’s Walker Beach to celebrate Holi, the festival of color which officially fell in the latter half of March this year. The holiday falls in the Hindu Calendar’s month of Phalgun, and varies as to specific dates depending on when the full moon falls that year.

The celebration’s Facebook event, which promised free Indian food, great music and an epic colored-powder-and-water fight, was sent out to virtually every member of the 5C community. The event served to spread the word about the relatively unknown religious holiday. Holi is a culturally prominent Indian holiday; it is the Hindus’ colorful spring festival. The festival revolves around one main day—known as Dhuli Vandana in Sanskrit—and is celebrated by people throwing colored powder and water at each other.

Holi can be regarded as a celebration of differences and brotherhood. It has traditionally been celebrated without any distinction of caste, creed, color, race or status. The act of throwing powder and water—and subsequently having it thrown in return and ending up looking like the same crazy, colorful mess as everyone else—breaks barriers between individuals otherwise unlike or unlikely to interact under normal circumstances.

The word “Holi” is derived from the world “hola,” meaning to offer prayer to the Almighty. The mythical character Holika, who deliberately disobeyed a devotee of the Lord, was reduced to ashes as punishment. Holi is celebrated by Hindus as an annual reminder that those who dismiss or torture the devotee of God will be turned to ash—a powder like the colorful pigment thrown—while those who love God—the powder-throwing celebrants—shall be saved. Holi also ushers in the season of spring.

The Walker Beach Holi offered multitudinous colored powder, hoses and buckets alike to soak friends—and perhaps a few strangers—with water. There was, as promised, free food and pounding Indian music to dance to. Those who came unprepared for the festive color-hurling hours in the afternoon sun may have left with stained clothes and hair, sunburned skin and some sore muscles from all the color-feuding and dancing. But the fun to be had at Holi counteracts any consideration of these consequences as really being consequential at all. The Claremont Colleges’ annual celebration of Holi is a friendly color-battle with friends and strangers, a chance to indulge in good food and Indian music and an overall good time. It is an annual celebration of colorful equality worth attending with or without regard to its Hindu origins.

Living La Vida Buena

By Julia Scheibmeir ’12
Guest Writer

PHOTOS COURTESY OF JULIA SCHEIBMEIR. Enjoying a beautiful day near the coast in Valparasco, Chile.

“Dang, this place sucks.” That is the running joke between students on my CIEE Valparaiso, Chile program, because it couldn’t be further from the truth. I wake up every morning to a view of rows and rows of colorful houses along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. My host family lives high up on a hill or cerro, and each day as I trek down I can’t help but admire the incredible artistry of the city. Each step of my journey leads me to a new mural or work of street art such as a juggler, a puppeteer or a street comedian. There is a market or feria every day of the year in the city below my hill, where people of all ages sell indigenous jewelry, fruits, flowers and wood crafts.

So why did I choose to study in a place where I was clearly going to be so miserable? Well, Chile has sounded appealing to me for quite some time now just from flipping through pictures in guidebooks, but my interest was reinforced when I spoke to Claremont students Claire Calderon ’12 and Nasya Sierra (CMC ’12) and they assured me that I would have a blast this semester.

Abby Trimble (CMC ’12) and I travelled for two weeks in the south of Chile before our programs began (hers in Santiago, mine in Valparaiso). Every day was a new adventure for us blonde gringas, and we met interesting people everywhere we went. We tried our first Pisco Sour drinks, watched our first handball game (the team resided in our hostel for the night), were serenaded on the street and were even attacked by huge flies in the otherwise incredible mountain resort town of Petrohué. We gave up on planning after our first attempt at chasing after a bus, as we quickly realized that Chileans run on a different schedule—the man behind the counter told us that the bus had “seemed full” so it had left early).

Surviving an encounter with Osorno - one of the most active volcanoes in the southern Chilean Andes.

Chile is famous for having a distinct dialect of Spanish, and I have found that to be very true. There is a “chilenismo” or slang word for just about everything. I have a lot of new vocab words floating around in my head, but the tricky part is figuring out which are okay to say in the classroom and which should be reserved for late night parties with friends. One of the first words I learned here was “chocopanda.” It sounds like a cereal with chocolate panda cookies, but it actually means “mullet.” Chocopandero refers to the young, hotshot male who proudly sports a chocopanda. A second word that will tell you something about Chilean fashion is the “banano” or fanny pack. U.S. style from the ‘80s is all the rage here in Chile, and fanny packs are not a symbol of a geeky tourist, but rather a convenient purse to keep money safe from pickpockets.

Academic classes here at the Catholic University in Valparaiso are quite similar to classes at the Claremont Colleges. An average class consists of roughly thirty students, one professor and an assistant to the professor. Homework assignments can be found on a virtual classroom site, and instead of having to buy books, since many of the students can’t afford expensive books, the teachers have their students pick up photocopies for a few cents from photocopy booths around the city. I find this to be a great system, because it greatly reduces the cost of the students’ education, and photocopies are easy to share and replace.

Overall, my experience here in Chile has been spectacular. I’ve visited Neruda’s houses, I stood outside the La Moneda building in an attempt to spot Obama, I’ve been working daily as an intern for a local newspaper and I’ve been trying to make the most of each day abroad. I highly recommend studying abroad to every underclasswoman at Scripps, and I know that I’m going to return to school with a fresh perspective on life and learning.

By Anna Pickrell ’14
Sports & Activities Editor

Waking up to an early morning text from a friend in another time zone is, though exhausting, always enjoyable. But when Claremont students woke up to a text at 8 a.m. from Campus Security on March 28 telling them to evacuate campus to at least one mile south of the Claremont colleges, excitement was in short supply. The message, also sent via email and voice message, included the words “this is NOT a drill” and put community members on edge. In the three minutes that passed between the initial notification and the follow-up “all clear” message, students wondered what kind of an emergency would require such action. Some of the most alert students even made it outside before the second message was sent at 8:13 a.m. It wasn’t until 9:51 a.m. that a brief follow up text (again, followed by an email) was sent out to explain that the evacuation was an accident.

The time that elapsed between the end to the evacuation and the vague explanation of the situation raises questions about organization in a real emergency. With close to two hours of limbo time, students were led to believe that there was an actual emergency to worry about for too long.

The bigger question remains unanswered. What happened that morning that accidentally sent out such an urgent alert to so many people? As covered by the Claremont Port Side, Campus Security representatives were leery to answer questions about the cause and effects of the incident. This is, essentially, a real life case of the boy who cried wolf. But this one easily could have involved a bomb threat.

Our last article on Scripps’s stylish women was a hit! We’ve decided to keep up the good work by featuring one of your fashionable classmates in each issue.

Chelsea Carlson, 18
First-year
Helena, MT

PHOTO COURTESY OF CHELSEA CARLSON

Have you always been conscious of fashion/how you dress?

I’ve been rocking some variation of hats, bows and dresses since a very young age. There was a rough patch in middle school (yikes!) but I would say I’ve pretty much always been very interested in developing personal style and observing the larger world of fashion.

Have you changed your style since you came to college?

I have been embracing sun hats, floral prints and peep toes lately, but I think that’s mostly because of this lovely weather! Montana has a bit more intense climate, so mostly I’ve been glad to leave the not-so-glamorous bulky layering behind.

What are your sources of inspiration?

Alexis Mabille, Scripps gardens, Mad Men, Jackie O, California, old advertising, Pushing Daisies and Carey Mulligan… need I say more?

What is your spring 2011 staple?

Big sun hats, bright lips and my yellow cruiser bike.

What is your favorite item of clothing in your closet?

I’m quite certain I can’t pick a favorite, but I do love a little cropped printed silk jacket I have. It has the most beautiful subtle pattern on it and goes perfectly with probably half my wardrobe!

What is your favorite accessory?

A thrifted pair of golden bow earrings with hanging mirrors. Not only do they add awesome to almost any outfit, I also like watching narcissistic people (okay, pretty much everyone) try to check their reflection in the tiny mirrors!

Which trends do you like/dislike this year?

I can’t say I’m a fan of this not wearing real pants business; jeggings are not one of those “best of both worlds” situations people…

Where do you like to shop?

Pretty much everywhere. I’ve found that some of the greatest things come from unexpected places. I especially love vintage, so raiding your grandma’s closet can be an excellent shopping trip. I also love to shop while traveling, which is great since I love having unique items with a story mixed together with more basic department store fare.

Have you had to alter your style to the Claremont climate?

I’ve been inspired by the climate—being able to wear a dress every day of the year is amazing!

By Lauren Prince ’14
News Editor

The Claremont Colleges Benefit Concert on April 3 in Garrison Theater raised money for students and families in Sendai, Japan. The money donated from the roughly 150 students, faculty and community members in attendance will go to the Victim’s Compensation Funds to be used for long-term rebuilding rather than immediate relief.

The Departments of Music and Dance of all five colleges organized a two-and-a-half- hour concert showcasing the talents of students, faculty and staff. The group collaborative effort provided the  opportunity for the colleges to act as a international community – to come together in the support of those in Sendai, Japan, and to “offer the best of what we do” said Hao Huang, Professor of Music at Scripps and one of the organizers of the event. Scripps’s students represented the majority of music and dance performances.

The Claremont Psyko Taiko group opened the concert and “played with such power, setting the mood and tempo for the whole concert,” said Psyko Taiko member SU Anne Lee (‘14). The performance marked the first time this group has played for such a large audience.

A duet was performed by Hao Huang and his wife—on piano and violin, respectively—which Psyko Taiko member Ishani Deo (’14) lauded for its emotional resonance. Said Deo, “[in addition to] the technical scale on display, it seemed they both put a lot of thought in how there were going to perform. They played something that had a lot of feeling to it. Rather than showcasing just their technical abilities, they chose something about their feelings about what is going on.”

Of the concert as a whole, Lee said, “Everyone sang with such passion and strength. The music just came through.” The power of the occasion resonated not just with its performers; its emotions translated into the audience as well. The benefit concert showcased not only support for Japan, but also the talent, dedication and hard work of people who walk around the 5C’s on a daily basis.

By Alexandra Talleur ’12
Staff Writer

On April 3, compassion for the victims of the recent Japanese earthquake and tsunami reverberated around the Claremont Colleges. Beginning in the afternoon, choral groups and student musicians performed to honor those who lost their lives and those who are struggling to recover from the devastating natural disaster. These performances culminated in the Benefit Concert for Japan, held Sunday from 8 – 11:15 p.m. in Garrison Theater.

The multi-media event began with speeches by the Japanese Language Coordinator and faculty from the music department at Scripps. The heartfelt speeches were met with applause and were followed by beautiful song and dance renditions by students and faculty from all five campuses. All evoked feelings of loss, compassion and hope for the mental and physical recovery of the affected Japanese people.

Roughly $3,000 was raised in donations at the event, an impressive sum considering the fact that no admission was charged. Student volunteers walked through the crowd collecting donations, and baskets were passed throughout the audience.

In addition to these opportunities for audience members to donate in the theater, baked goods and Japanese treats were sold in the lobby. Proceeds from these sales are also being donated. The money is going to the Miyagi Prefecture, a jurisdiction which was at the epicenter of the earthquake in Japan.

Molly Serizawa (’13) has been an active participant in the Claremont community’s effort to aid victims of the disaster. With friends and family living in Japan, she felt a personal connection with those affected and an obligation to help. Serizawa volunteered at the event on Sunday.  “It was really overwhelming how many people donated,” she said. “Not just students, but people in the community [as well].”

The audience at Garrison on Sunday night reflected not just the campus-wide hope of student activists, but a community-wide humanitarian effort. Graduate students, students from outside of Claremont and residents of Claremont all attended and donated to show their support. They were rewarded by spectacular performances

Student musicians provided accompaniment for a performance of a hope-stirring song, led by Sai Upadhyayula

(PZ ‘11), in which the audience was asked to participate. The song’s title, “Ue Wo Muite Arukou,” translates roughly to “looking up at the sky and walking forward.”

Professor of Japanese Kyoko Kurita joined Scripps faculty in planning the event. The entire Japanese department at Pomona has been an invaluable resource in the relief effort. In addition to Sunday’s events, a Paper Crane folding event was held on April 3 and 6. Students made close to 500 paper cranes in a gesture of care and support. All of the paper cranes will be sent to Japan.

More opportunities to show support for victims of the tragedy are sure to arise. This Saturday is the International Festival at the I-Center at CMC. Though this event is held every year, this year there will be a focus on Japan and its victims, and donations will be collected.

To give support for relief efforts, whether monetarily or symbolically, add “Claremont Colleges for Japan” on Facebook.

By Oriana LaVilla ’14
Features Editor

Scripps — it is that time of year again: the time when hall draw descends upon us. The sense of tension and anticipation has begun to surface around campus as students receive their hall draw numbers, and begin to research and plan their living situations for the upcoming year.

This year SAS held a BeHeard Forum to collect students’ opinions and ideas on the current hall draw process in order to reform rules and regulations for an easier and more student-friendly process.

A large number of students attended this forum and a great number of suggestions were put into play. Recent changes to the Scripps College hall draw process have been put into effect. But is anyone really taking advantage of them?

The SAS snack this past Sunday featured an unofficial mock hall draw so that students could predict the likelihood of drawing into particular rooms. Though a sound idea in theory, the mock hall draw was weak in practice.

In the end, only fifteen hall draw numbers were written on the whiteboards lining the walls of the Student Union. Either students had not been adequately informed of the opportunity, or their interest and passion for new regulations have dwindled from the passionate voice for change at the BeHeard Forum.

Responding to this lack of participation, Eliza Silverman (’14) said, “I think the mock hall draw is a good idea but only if everyone participates. I am not going to take the time to write down my number if there are only fifteen other people who do the same. However, I think it would be a great resource to students if it was official.”

Although the changes this year did not work out exactly as SAS had planned, they functioned as a series of test runs which should be helpful in upcoming years.

SAS will continue to work with the Scripps administration to reform the hall draw process in a way that reflects the input and desires of all Scripps students.

Wednesday, April 6
49th Robbins Lecture Series, Life on the River of Science with Professor Peter Agre, Seaver North Auditorium (Pomona), 4:30 p.m. (continues through April 7)

Thursday, April 7
Weijian Shan, Can China Innovate?, Athenaeum (CMC), 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

The Studio Artists of Pomona College, Lyman Hall (Pomona) followed by tea and reception at Seaver House (Pomona), 1:30 to 3 p.m.

9th Annual Claremont-UC Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union, Hampton Room (Scripps), all day

Friday, April 8
Elders-in-Residence program, Elk Whistle with Bill Neal, Grove House Outdoor Classroom (Pitzer), 12 p.m.

Art as Activism, SCORE Living Room (Scripps), 3 to 5 p.m.

LA Opera Young Artists Program, Lyman Hall (Pomona), 8 p.m.

Saturday, April 9
Walk a Mile in Her Shoes March to End Violence Against Women (Pitzer), 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. (registration starts at 9:30 a.m.)

International Festival (CMC), 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Monday, April 11
Girard Lecture, Personal and Professional Perspectives on Bipolar Illness with Kay Redfield Jamison, Humanities Auditorium (Scripps), 4:15 to 5 p.m.

Film: Oxhide II, Rose Hills Theatre (Pomona), 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, April 12
PBI, Whose Loss and Whose Gain?: The Contradictory Politics of the Brain Drains, Hahn 108 (Pomona), 4:15 to 5:30 p.m.

Film: Thomas Mao (Xiao Dongxi), Rose Hills Theatre (Pomona), 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, April 13
Queer Faculty Symposium Series: The Imperial Logic of Sexuality, Queer Resource Center (Pomona), 4:30 p.m.

Film: I Wish I Knew, Rose Hills Theatre (Pomona), 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, April 14
Humanities Institute Lecture: Internationalizing Higher Education: Emerging

Models and Challenges with Stephen Larsen, Hampton Room (Scripps), 12 p.m.

3D Cooperative Strategies for Underwater Robots, Honnold/Mudd Library, 4:15-5:15 p.m.

Film: Disorder, Rose Hills Theatre (Pomona), 7:30 p.m.

Friday, April 15
Mathew Engelke, “God’s Agents: Biblical Publicity in Contemporary England,” Balch Conference Room (Scripps), 12 p.m.

Scripps Dances, Garrison Theatre (Scripps), 8 p.m.

Saturday, April 16
Scripps Dances, Garrison Theatre (Scripps), 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Monday, April 18
Where do we stand in the European Union—a Hungarian Presidency Perspective, Hampton Room (Scripps), noon

The 2012 Maya End Times Calendar Follies with Edward Krupp (‘67), Millikan 134 (Pomona), 4:15 p.m.

Matt Logelin: “Two Kisses for Maddy” reading and book signing, Hampton Room (Scripps), 4:15 p.m.

Tuesday, April 19
Mark Bauerlein, The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future (Or, Don’t Trust Anyone Under 30), Athenaeum (CMC), 6:45 p.m.