Ali (left) with his father Mustafa Mirza ’76 (center) and brother Akbar Mirza ’13 (right)

On campus, Ali was a media studies major, played for the Claremont Colleges 5C Volleyball Club, and was a campus DJ. Ali’s love of music led him to mix his own tracks and DJ many campus events. In his hometown of Westport, CT, Ali worked at FTNS Radio helping with audio production, his overwhelming passion. He had previously worked as a camp counselor, and throughout his teenage years was an avid volleyball player.

On the evening of May 17th, Claremont Colleges students organized a candlelight vigil to celebrate Ali’s profound life and influence on those around him. His parents were in town for the weekend to attend his brothers graduation ceremony on May 18. Friends and acquaintances gathered on Green Beach and spoke to his extraordinary empathy, the powerful love he showed his friends, his easygoing, humorous character, and his love for music. Small candles dotted the hill where festivities often take place. But on this sad occasion, crowds gathered out of sorrowful respect for the contribution he made to CMC’s tightly-woven community.

Ali is remembered as an infectiously enthusiastic friend with a welcoming personality. At the vigil, multiple students recounted stories of meeting Ali upon first arriving at CMC and feeling instantly part of the community. Remembrances of his charisma and warm smile have flooded social media in the days following his passing as a testament to his impact on all those around him.

Student Clancy Tripp ’15 offered the following in a tribute to Ali published on her personal blog:

I can’t claim that I knew Ali extremely well, but what I can say is that he was to me what he was to hundreds of us: someone who made us feel cared about, someone who inspired us to enjoy every moment, someone who was so genuine that he made us want to follow his example.  If anyone truly embodies what a CMCer should be, it’s Ali.

The sheer number of students moved by Ali’s loss is testimony to the positive impact that he had in such a short time at CMC. His absence on campus will be deeply felt.

Ali’s brother, Akbar Mirza, offered one of the brothers’ favorite sounds as a tribute to his love for music, found here. Ali’s personal sound cloud can also be found here.

The email sent to the student body can be found below:

Dear Members of the CMC Community:

I am very saddened to report the untimely death of Ali Mirza ’15, who passed away early this morning. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time.

We will share more information with our community as it becomes available. Members of the CMC staff have been with Ali’s family.

A community-gathering place has been set up in the Crocker Reading Room, Bauer Center North, 1st floor.  Members of the Monsour Counseling Center Staff and Office of the Chaplains, as well as members of the College staff, stand ready to assist students, faculty, and staff at this difficult time. Note cards will be available for anyone who wishes to write a message to Ali’s family.

In addition, the Monsour Counseling Center has staff available for walk-ins as needed, and Chaplains are available in the McAlister Center.

Our deepest sympathies go out to the Mirza family and the CMC community.

Sincerely,

Pamela B. Gann
President

Editors Note:  The Forum offers its deepest condolences to Ali’s friends and family. We welcome all those who knew Ali to share stories of his wonderful character, and unforgettable magnetism on those around him below. He was a spectacular member of our community, and shall be sorely missed.

1. There are people that are in constant fear of clouds.

2. You didn’t get punched in the face today

3. You were not implicated in The Case of the Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Bikini Top v. the (More) Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Pastie, written by Chief U.S. District Judge Fred Biery.

4. There may be a National Treasure 3

5. You’re not on this website

President Gann’s email explained that one of the conditions of the informal grievance process, as detailed in the College’s Grievance Procedures and made clear to all parties participant in the investigation, is confidentiality and privacy throughout and after the process in order to ensure that the resolution is “fair and neutral.” While these expectations were explicitly conveyed to Hamideh and his “support person” in the grievance process, they failed to adhere to the College’s confidentiality procedures.

According to President Gann, the informal grievance process, which did not succeed in resolving the conflict, “was disappointing, from the College’s perspective, due to breaches of confidentiality by the student and/or his support person that occurred both during and after the informal grievance process, and which were documented with them in writing.”

Because of this breach of the College’s confidentiality expectations during the informal grievance process, when Hamideh subsequently filed a formal grievance against Raviv, the College asked all parties involved to agree to respect the privacy and confidentiality of the investigation. However, administrators concluded that those standards would not be met, and therefore, the formal grievance process could not properly be held. “When both the student and his support person made clear by their words and actions that they would not respect nor abide by CMC’s confidentiality requirements,” President Gann wrote, “the College dismissed the student’s grievance.”

In closing, President Gann emphasized the need for grievance process procedures to be followed in order to “ensure a process that is fair and equitable to all participants,” and restated her commitment to promoting an academic environment that fosters free speech and that is unencumbered by harassment or discrimination.

I’m a guitar player. Before arriving at CMC, I played hours every day, gigged regularly, was part of a band, and used music as a creative form of expression that balanced out a busy academic life. It’s a part of who I am.

I have never felt so creatively stifled as I have at CMC. A school that sent me a brochure with a guitar player on it can do better than simply tell students that art is not a priority for CMC and that music rooms can be accessed at other colleges, as President Gann did last year. The truth is that resources at other colleges are not easily accessible to CMCers. Every year, some poor freshman takes up the fight for some sort of a musical rehearsal space before bureaucracy crushes them and they give up. This year, unfortunately, that has happened to me.

And it’s happened to others. Musicians aren’t rare at CMC.

Great musical number from Mr. Stag 2012

On my floor alone, I can count that at least half of our residents play some sort of instrument. Despite this, we’re the only college I’ve ever seen that has fewer resources devoted to the arts than my kindergarten class, which at least had a box of crayons and construction paper. When a significant portion of the student body practices one or more of the arts, a school that would like to consider itself one of the best in the nation has some obligation to provide for students. It doesn’t make us unique among the 5Cs to be the only one without some sort of art space. It makes us pathetic.

There’s a lot more to it than just allowing us to make noise. The school has reportedly spent the last several years attempting to stifle the drinking culture at CMC. An aggressive push against CMC’s alcohol culture is bound to be met with fierce opposition, because, like citizens of some Scandinavian country, many students like to get out of class, get drunk, and spend the weekend in a haze. But despite DOS’s best efforts, attempts at creating dry events have not nearly been good enough. Creating artistic spaces would provide students not only with something to do on campus, but it would also eventually create a music scene that would provide entertainment for parties and campus events.

Every time I have spoken with people about this, I’m always given the same responses. “It can’t be done,” or, “There isn’t any room on campus.” Meanwhile, there are empty offices spaces right between Parent’s Field and the Bauer Center. ASCMC had an empty space at the start of the year as well.  With construction commencing on a $50 million dollar athletic complex, (and offices moving to the vacant portables) those are no longer options. What bothers me, however, is that they were. Pitzer found a room underneath their dining hall, next to garbage cans. That would be fine with me. Somewhere, somehow, room can be made.

Another issue would most obviously be cost. With a drum kit, PA system and amplifiers, a room could be outfitted for less than five thousand dollars, which is an absolute joke of a sum, and pales in comparison to the amount spent on athletics each year.

The CMC Campus Master Plan does include a student center that will hopefully have musical facilities, but it simply isn’t happening soon enough. While I’m sure that my kid will one day enjoy attending the opening for the facility during their senior year, you’ll have to excuse me if I want something a little more timely. When CMC’s Jam Society was formed earlier this year, it had an initial membership count that easily numbered in the forties. The club died because it had nowhere to go. Forty students started that club, which I daresay is a sizeable number, and had it succeeded, I’m sure there would have been more. The youngest of them will graduate in 2016, and they deserve better than empty promises about what will come to pass a decade into the future.

Obviously, females should be as capable as men in competing on-stage. CMC women after all are callous, driven women with no regard for antiquated gender norms. That’s why the Mrs. Stag competition would be such a hit. Usually, CMC is criticized for focusing too heavily on pre-professionalism, but the fact that this career-ending show of indignity has lasted so long proves CMC’s dedication to the liberal arts.

First comes the interview process. This is the first chance for a contestant to show what she’s got. After bottomless mimosas at Sunday brunch, the camera crew will have to catch the lucky girl at her loose-lipped prime. Questions for contestants will include: What do you look for in a husband? What is your ideal date? What makes you stronger than all the other Stag-thenas? How quickly can you shotgun?

Debaucherous interviews have been extremely popular with CMCers in the past, but if the boys think they’ve seen sloppy, they haven’t seen CMC ladies with the gloves on. No male has had the unique experience of fighting for dignity in the middle of a TNC grind pit — it’s a battle that gives a girl a little hair on her chest.

Then comes the selection of the talent. This is risky territory for women. Talents must be heinously embarrassing but can not stand the chance of ruining contestants’ prospects for marriage. But, performing the dance from “Risky Business” and twerking on the floor will simply not be enough for these women to completely and utterly humiliate themselves.

The day of the competition will be tense and filled with eye-rolling. Go perform your Lady GaGa routine, novice. I can only imagine that with the staggering turnout at Mr. Stag this year, audiences will be thrilled to see their female friends take shots of Tabasco for their peers’ enjoyment. Who knows, maybe a girl will take a dart to the ass even better.

To kick off the activities, I announce myself as a candidate for the Mrs. Stag 2014 competition. My runway outfit will be a dress of seaweed that I’ll begin crocheting this summer, and my talent will be re-enacting an entire episode of Fear Factor. I assure you that I will to the best of my ability shame myself in front of a crowd of hundreds, and I pray that you again invite upstanding members of our administration like Mr. John Faranda and Mrs. Carol Hartman.

Too long has this school gone without an avenue for women to be truly equal to men. In class, sure, we get to say our share, but what about all of the push-up competitions on Parents field? What about the hot-wing eating contest from which women have been shamed for years? It’s time for women to be equal to men outside of the workplace and classroom. We’re tired of being giggled at when we’re pumping iron in Ducey.

To my competition, I have to say: If you think that I wasn’t listening when you told all your girls your secret talent that day out on Green Beach, I was. My window is always open. See you out there, ladies.

The internet is big – the range of items you can buy on it is even bigger. If for no other reason than doing it because you can, maybe it’s time to order some of these awesome toys.

Shark Sleeping Bag

A Life-Size T. Rex Sculpture… because why not

Pills That Will Literally Make You Shit Gold

A Cologne That Works 60% of the Time, Every Time

An Iphone Movie Projector

A F*cking Hobbit Home

A Handshake Doorknob

In order to broaden the discussion surrounding the PI and to provide a new perspective,  The Forum interviewed Social Activities Chair Mark Blumenfeld ’14 to explain his vision for the PI and address the points of contention regarding the Inform.

Towards the lack of inclusion of wet events at the other 5Cs in the Inform, Blumenfeld explained that, as a matter of principal, he is omitting events from the PI that conflict with events to which CMC dedicates funds. In other words, Pub is included in the Inform because it does not conflict with CMC events, while a Mudd Party that conflicts with Monte Carlo is omitted.

In the interview, Blumenfeld strongly emphasized his belief that the PI should include only wet events because it is uniquely reserved for parties, much like the Athletic Inform is reserved for athletic events.

A central concern individuals have raised is the perceived patronizing tone in the Party Inform, with words such as “young readers” and “kiddies.” Blumenfeld has taken these comments into account and has attempted to change language that is particularly condescending.

For students interested in staying in the loop about all weekend gatherings and shows, all events open to 5C students, both wet and dry, can be found on Event Claremont, a recently built web site that aggregates the dates and times of these events into one easy-to-navigate calendar.

Event Claremont, brought to fruition primarily by Josh Rael ’14 and Brian Fung PO ’13, features four categories of events: academic events, activities and meetings, music and art showcases, and parties and nightlife. Blumenfeld strongly advocates using Event Claremont for students interested in events outside wet parties that are hosted by one of the 5Cs throughout the week.

Below is a full transcript of the interview:

1. What do you think should be included in the Party Inform? 


There are many events that take place across the 5Cs.  As such, there are multiple media outlets in circulation that advertise these events, e.g., Athletic Inform, SLC Inform, Event Claremont, etc.  All parties are events, but not all events are parties.

The PI is the only one of these many outlets dedicated toward parties.  Given that the other events are advertised elsewhere, or should already be advertised elsewhere, it is my belief that the PI should remain dedicated toward informing CMC students of parties in the same way the athletic inform is disposed towards sporting events.

However, there will be times when non-party events make their way into the PI.  These events usually operate in the context of ‘party,’ or at least that has been my experience.  For an example, consider CMS-PP basketball games.

In short, I desire to keep my informs concise as I believe it promotes efficiency and more readership. I would like to promote more than just parties, but the trade off is not worthwhile given that other informs and newsletters already exist.

2. Why should dry and wet events be separated? 


Given that I reserve the PI for parties, I think this question deals more precisely with what constitutes as a ‘party’ (maybe I am wrong in that assessment).

Dry events typically do not merit the demarcation of ‘party’ at CMC and therefore I do not include them.  Moreover, SAC is, in my opinion, a fancy way of saying ‘the guy who buys the keg.’  And as such, the PI lends itself, rightfully so, towards wet events.

However, this does not mean that I will always forgo putting dry events in the PI.  If the PI is lacking parties, or if there is a major dry event that I think exists on the periphery of a party, I will surely include it. Again, I refer to CMS-PP basketball games as an example.

Some of you may not like this, but surely you must agree that I have to draw the line somewhere as to what to include and what not to.  I think it easiest and clearest if I let the PI be for parties, which are, 95% of the time, wet events, and allow the SLC Inform to advertise other events.

Additionally, I doubt that there is anyone at CMC who believes that parties are only for those who drink. Conveying such a message is neither my intention, nor is it the status quo.  I know plenty of drinkers who attend the Hub Quiz and other events like it and equally as many non-drinkers who attend parties.

3. Why does this not make our campus less inclusive (a common argument against separate informs)?


It certainly does not. Inclusivity means all are welcome; from where I sit, I cannot see any reason to think our campus is not inclusive in regards to our party scene.

If I were to put a keg in a room (maybe board up the windows) and call that a party, then I think there would be grounds to say, “Mark, this is not inclusive since you are not compelling non-drinkers to attend.”  Obviously, that example is a bit extreme, but nonetheless conveys my message.

The only party that I think lends itself strongly towards drinkers is TNR.  However, even at TNR I have seen many people come in for a study break just to hang out and socialize.

4. Why can’t events conflicting with CMC ones be promoted in the interest of integrating with the other 5Cs, meeting new people, and diversifying the options for students? 


I get about 15 emails a week asking that I put XYZ event in the Party Inform.  I evaluate them as such: A) Is it a wet or dry event? Can it be something that fits on the PI? And if so, how widely attended will it be? and B) Is ASCMC throwing an event on the same night?

It is my belief that at a small school a party is best when the most people show up.  If I were to offer two competing events on the same night I would, in theory at least, bifurcate my audience and in effect lessen the potential success of either party.  Surely, there are adequate defeaters to this argument, but as long as multiple other informs exist for people to advertise their events, I cannot see the reason to advertise two competing ones on the same night.  Also, it is the job of the other schools’ SAC’s to advertise their events.  I spend hours on my job each week, and simply do not have the time to do theirs.

On nights when ASCMC does not throw a party, I absolutely put other schools’ rippers in the PI, such as Club Two300 at Mudd and Spring Fling at Scripps.  Again, even on such rare occasions when I don’t throw something, I like to only mention the party ASCMC is helping to fund.

5. How have you changed your approach in the PI in the aftermath of the first Forum article? (grammar, tone, condescension, wording)


The last inform I sent out made no mention of ‘kids,’ ‘ young-ins,’ ‘young adults,’ or ‘youths.’  Personally, I communicate with friends in that way, and so I write that way.

I would like to say that I am confused regarding the issue of condescension considering we are only 20-25% into our lives and didn’t intend to appear condescending since no one would refer to a tree 25% of its total height as a mature tree, but a sapling.  But again, this isn’t a big deal, so I am happy to accommodate the student body.

Also, my grammar sucks. I apologize if it offends you. I spend so much time trying out color schemes with Google mail, whose color schemes suck btdubs, that when I like the way it looks I simply send it out.  Plus, it’s a party inform, not a book report, so I’m not that worried about my grammar.

6. What is your take on the perceived degradation of the social scene?

It’s a gross misconception.  By any metric (of which there are few), party attendance at CMC is at the highest it has been in my time here.  Since February and Otis’s creativity, the party scene is off to the races.

Evidence: TNR did not exist last year, and it was weak at best first semester.  TNC last semester was mainly a wash and hardly anyone went out. This recent semester, they have been sporadically attended, but when they are good, they are good.  Ben has been taking some big risks in terms of how he goes about throwing parties and I think that his decisions have been quite fruitful for the scene overall.  Saturday night parties are humming along quite well.  If you remember last year ushered in many new rules that made it difficult for SACs to navigate the 5C open door. 

Lastly, the senior class has thrown fewer impromptu events at the Senior Apartments than any senior class in my three-year career here.  Most times when I go to a party, seniors are not the first attendees, but rather the underclassmen.  This is fantastic for the party scene, since it is usually the other way around and this dynamic makes it much easier to approach the dance floor before time runs out.

The Next John: Drake Escrofani

Most Likely to be President: Aditya Pai

Most Likely to be a CMC Professor: Ben Pyle

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Will Add their Initial to KKR: David Hirsch

Most Likely to Come Back to TNC: Zac Robin

Most Likely to Speak at the Ath: Sean McQueen

Most Likely to Take Over the World: Daniel Shane

Most Likely to Donate “The Cube II”: Connor Barclay

Most Likely to Successfully take Dora on a Date: Wade Vaughn

Wearing it Since 2009: Emily Ott

Most Likely to Force their Child to go to CMC: Lannie Rosenfield

Ath MVP: Pyper Scharer

Best Dressed: Sunny Tsai

Best Laugh: Sean Smith

Class Clown: Aaron Outland

Wish I Knew Better: Kofi Kouassi

Nicest: Brian Downs and Katie Browning

Renaissance Man and Woman: Steven Zima and Kate Johnson

Most Dreamed About: Greg Mann and Kelly Halamek

Best Hair: Tori Gaines and Johnny Lena Han

Best Smile: Priscilla Hsu and Jake Roth

Best Eyes: Matt Ellis and Karima Merchant

Most Changed: TC Winter and Elise Yoshida

Best All Around: Ari Davis and India Wade

Cutest Couple: Jeff Macdonald and Isabel Harbaugh

Biggest Bromance: Jared Bernstein and Harrison Doyle

Best Girlfriends: Cecily Lloyd, Alex Bergonia, and Emma MacFarlane

Poppa Power Couple: Blake Weber and Maddy Busacca

image source: petside.com

We don’t have much of anything to complain about at Camp Claremont. As we’ve heard time and time again, we’re pretty high up there on the list of happiest colleges in America. We have perfect weather. We have amazing professors, great students; the laundry list goes on. But we are missing one thing: puppies. (Or kittens, parakeets, etc.)

Some students have seen this glaring absence and tried to fix it. Every spring, we get to play with crates full of puppies for stress relief during finals week. And the 5C Animal Shelter Volunteer Program takes dedicated groups of students to go work with animals every week. I love and appreciate both of these things, but sometimes these come too few and far between, and there really isn’t a substitute for coming home to an excited puppy, or going for a run with your dog, or listening to your cat purr.

So what we really need to nudge us that one notch higher on the happiness scale is a pet-friendly dorm. Seriously, just one dorm. That’s all I’m asking. Actually, to be technically correct, what we need is a dog/cat/cuddly animal-friendly dorm. As per page 30 of the Guide to Student Life: “No pets or animals, other than fish in a maximum 10-gallon tank, are allowed in student rooms. Pets other than fish on campus constitute a violation of the License Agreement and may result in disciplinary action.” Only fish? Ouch.

image source: besottedblog.com

I’m not just saying this just because I miss my dog (not completely, that is). There are significant benefits to spending more time with animals. The presence of animals in our lives can improve quality of life significantly. Workplaces that allow pets (most of the studies revolved around dogs) have seen a rise in productivity and morale of workers. Several studies have found that interaction with animals reduces stress significantly. The benefits are clear; in the studies, workers self-reported lower stress levels when they were allowed to bring their dogs to work versus when they were not.

image source: http://imgur.com/gallery/XuxnxgC

Having a pet friendly dorm would be a win-win: those who want and miss their pets could have them, and those who don’t want the responsibility involved or the expense could visit whichever dorm and enjoy some quality cuddling time. If you want to get practical about it, studies also suggest that caring for animals can help develop critical skills of self-discipline as well as increasing empathy and awareness.

Now, I admit that there are some good and obvious reasons for not allowing real pets (sorry fish-lovers) on campus. I’m sure it is more expensive to clean rooms after pets have lived in them (years of vacuuming up after my dog that the seller swore didn’t shed can attest to this). And of course people with allergies would have to avoid that dorm. But imagine walking to class and being able to stop and say hello to a frolicking puppy on your way. Imagine waking up to a cat curled around your feet. Or imagine having a bad day (a bad test, a break up, you name it) and spending some therapy time with a cuddly ball of fur that loves you unconditionally just because you pet it behind the ears.

(If a dog-friendly dorm is a bridge too far, I can scale back. Dear Administration, can I have a hedgehog?)

All jokes aside, how can you not want this on campus?