Hurricane Stagthena

A freshman at Scripps in one of my classes recently told a harrowing story regarding CMCers’ poor attitude towards cleaning up. After attending an event on CMC’s campus, she tried to be courteous, straightening up the disaster left behind. To this, a CMC student responded arrogantly, “This is CMC; we don’t clean up.”

The general attitude on campus seems to be of ill responsibility when it comes to cleaning up.  I’ve heard students brag about their ability to simply drop their trash wherever they are standing. Though we have a phenomenal grounds crew, this does not give CMCers the license to completely disrespect our campus.  We parade around campus, smugly behaving like children fed by a silver spoon.   Instead of taking the initiative to keep our campus clean, we simply place the burden of our hard-partying lifestyles on the backs of the hard-working dorm maids.  In the midst of the Thursday Night Club fiasco, Dean of Students took note of our nonchalant attitude towards cleaning up. On March 24, students received an email from ASCMC stating that DOS would like to see students “taking the initiative to clean up after events.”  I believe the general consensus is that we should do everything we can to prevent TNC from being canceled.  So if DOS wants us to clean, I say we clean.

There may be some preconceived notion that because students are under the influence of alcohol, they do not have to take responsibility for their actions.  Next time you are in that situation, I must ask, are you so incapacitated that you cannot place your trash in a proper receptacle?  And if you are, why on earth are you out walking around on campus?

Have we already so long forgotten those values which were once taught to us by a giant singing purple dinosaur?  I think Barney really hit the nail on the head when he uttered those immortal words – “Clean up, Clean up. Everybody do your share.” (Even this girl knows what’s up.)

Supposedly, we are a bunch of kids that are really good at economics and accounting.  Dorm damages have already amounted to over $20,000 this year. Call me crazy, but this may not be the best allocation of our financial resources. Cleaning up better won’t make all of those penalties go away, but it will help cut down on those mysterious dorm damages for lounge cleanup that get passed along to the entire residence hall.

So, CMCers, take the two seconds to throw away your cup to preserve TNC – even in its now limited capacity. At the least, cleaning up is worth several more nights  of raging.

Don't talk to him.

I emailed Dean Spellman to inquire if any information was to be given on why we were to be wary. She only repeated that he had been banned from HMC and if seen, we should contact Campus Safety.

I responded that I understood, but asked whether we as CMCers – and as adults – should be allowed to know background, or reasoning. Spellman responded, “I do not have more information to share with you.  The context is that this person was banned from the HMC campus.  This does not really involve CMC but I thought you and the rest of the community should know about it.  In the unlikely event that you see someone who looks like this person, please call Campus Safety.” Of course, her statement can be taken two ways: that she (and others around her) simply had no information, or that they just didn’t want to share.

Taken either way, I was very surprised at the given “answer.” Firstly, it was not believable that they would have no detailed information and that HMC would fail to provide them with further explanation. And secondly, I wondered how they could be so comfortable denying students information related, even loosely, to the safety and well-being of 5Cers.

I found out quickly that both concerns were founded. Scripps and Pomona students were forwarded all of the details and more by their deans (Pitzer: unknown). For some reason, the CMC administration either thought we would be safer in the dark or that their job was to share the bare minimum.

Here are the details that were sent out from other 5C deans that, for some reason, CMC’s Dean of Students Office either doesn’t want students to know, or doesn’t think students need to know.

Date: April 28, 2010 4:04:06 PM PDT

Subject: Alumni Weekend Security Preparations

Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students,

I am writing to let you know about an issue the College is facing regarding our upcoming Alumni Weekend and how we intend to deal with it.

In March 2010, Scott Wilbur, HMC alum, was issued a court-ordered permanent restraining order that prohibits him from being within 100 yards of the entire HMC campus.  The restraining order resulted from a threat he directed at me.  Since then we heard that he has made threatening remarks directed at a small number of our senior staff and a member of the Alumni Board of Governors, which included mention of a firearm.

Unfortunately, Mr. Wilbur has repeatedly stated that he would attend Alumni weekend which begins on Friday, April 30 and ends the evening of Sunday, May 2. In order to ensure the safety of our campus community and guests, we have taken extra security precautions.  The College has hired security officers from Campus Safety and has also hired a private security firm.  The Claremont Police Department has also been notified and will have a presence on campus during the entire weekend.

If you see Mr. Wilbur on campus please contact Campus Safety immediately by phone at 72000 (909-607-2000).  A recent photograph of Mr. Wilbur is attached.   Several alternative possible images are presented as well since we believe he may attempt to change his appearance before coming to campus.  If you cannot open the attachment, it is also available at the following internal website: http://www.hmc.edu/issues/hmconly/scott-wilbur.html

Please remember that Mr. Wilbur is directing his threats towards me and a few members of the senior staff.  However, it is always a good practice to be familiar with the College’s internal safety procedures and they are available on the Emergency Preparedness website : http://www.hmc.edu/about/administrativeoffices/emergencypreparednessandsafety1/prep1/procedures1/emergproced.html

The College’s primary focus in this matter is the safety of our faculty, staff, alumni and students.  The security precautions we are putting in place are intended to help ensure all of our safety and we wanted you to know about these precautions beforehand.  Due to previously scheduled commitments I will be traveling over the next two days, but if you have any questions please contact Bob Cave, Maggie Browning, Andrew Dorantes, Joseph Vaughan or Cynthia Beckwith who can easily contact me as needed.

Sincerely,

Maria Klawe

President

After learning about this, I called CMC DOS to inquire who made this decision to withhold and deny information and for what purpose. I was put into touch with Dean Huang’s assistant who said that Dean Spellman and unnamed “others” had spoken and decided it was unnecessary to forward the extra information. Even if they didn’t think the photos (let’s face it, they were funny) and HMC president’s letter were necessary for us to see, the thing is they didn’t even want to provide one sentence of context like, “He has threatened the life of several members of the HMC senior staff”— which might have been enough to satisfy most CMCers.

There are a number of user-submitted joke photos, including this one on Scott Wilbur's newly-created Facebook fan page.

Ironically, by trying to minimize attention drawn to the incident by witholding and denying information when asked, the administration made the incident into a huge deal. The conversation has moved from Ryal and Collins to Facebook. The “cryptic” and “sketchy” email, and the unsupported warning to “watch out for Scott,” has become the butt of a great many jokes on campus. Some students have switched their profile photos to photos of Scott Wilbur, a Facebook profile has been created for him, and as of yesterday a hilarious Facebook group has been started called “joking about the terrifying possibility of encountering Scott Wilbur.” It appears that CMC students have had a large part in contributing to this group, so I think it’s fair to say that DOS’ calculated decision backfired.

The way the administration is handling this situation strikes a familiar chord. However subtly, DOS officials continue to widen a rift between themselves and the students they work for by misinterpreting the way we work, play, think, and even protect ourselves. How could more information possibly increase the threat, more than it would increase our caution? This is simply another awkward, confusing decision that the administration has made this semester. Instead of Scott Wilbur creeping me out, now it’s DOS.

Going into the weekend, all Dean Spellman and “others” do want you to know is to watch out for Scott Wilbur. They won’t tell you who he is or why, but watch out. Oh— and remember not to talk to him.

Editor’s Note: The author of this opinion piece has requested it be published anonymously, due to the nature of the Wilbur threat.

Their vision, which was presented at the Forum’s Idea Night earlier this semester, involves the creation of a new student committee to aid in facilitating student ideas for campus changes. The Improvements and Projects Action Committee (IPAC) would be comprised of as many as 15 students and capable of reaching a variety of groups on campus, opening up a new system of bidirectional communication between student representatives and the student body.  Members would be chosen through an application process, ideally in cooperation with the Dean of Students Office and ASCMC members.

“This plan was born out of the idea that sometimes there are only a finite number of positions at the school for a vast number of people who are interested in helping the community,” said Kraus, who ran unsuccessfully for ASCMC President in the most recent round of student body elections.

Eric Scott '11 and Ben Kraus '11 presented their proposal for IPAC to a captivated audience at Idea Night in March.

Such projects would range in size and scale, but Kraus stressed that the goal of the committee would be to give the student body incentives to submit ideas for changes on campus.  Via a portal posted on an independent website (perhaps on the Forum itself, said Kraus), all members of the student body would be able to submit proposals to the committee, which would in turn take steps to implement the good ideas with funding from DOS or ASCMC.  According to Kraus and Scott, such ideas include high pressure shower heads in all the dorms and coffee in study lounges.

“Ben lobbied to get new TVs in the Hub, and there’s nothing stopping [these changes] from occurring, but [we want] something institutionalized to make sure there’s that type of change happening at all times,” said Scott.

But several obstacles remain between their idea and the committee’s implementation.  For IPAC to become a part of the existing ASCMC institution, the ASCMC Constitution needs to be amended.  Additionally, Kraus and Scott admit there are potential overlaps with the duties of the ASCMC Senate, but they believe this problem would be fixed by having either the ASCMC Vice President or President pro tempore sit on the committee.

Kraus and Scott have met repeatedly with ASCMC President Tammy Phan and Vice President Chris Jones to flesh out their plan and work towards its implementation.  Ideally the committee would be situated under the Dean of Students Office and would not function as a direct part of ASCMC, making it free from constitutional issues and other ASCMC limitations.

The student government has yet to form a cohesive position on the proposal, and has withheld from giving a full-fledged endorsement. ASCMC Vice President Chris Jones stated that the issue was being discussed by ASCMC, and offered some insight into its future:  “One of the things we thought was crucial was making sure someone who was a representative with a connection to Senate would be on board,” said Jones.  “[We want to] figure out where situations overlap, working together and combining forces when applicable.”

ASCMC President Tammy Phan said of IPAC, “I support student efforts to improve our campus and I look forward to what will come from the committee. It’s important for CMCers to work together in order to change our school for the better.”

Various administration officials scrambled to respond to student outcry late into the evening. John Faranda used his Facebook profile to respond to the new group. Dean Huang sent an email out to the student body to calm things down, which was followed by another this morning. “We have agreed to let the Senior Thesis Fountain Party continue, in its old location,” he wrote, “but simply want those participating to be respectful of others and noise issues.” It was not made clear how student sentiment factored into the recent decision.

Is that Professor Ward Elliott we spy,snapping pictures on the left? Could that be a sign of senior faculty approval?

The timing of this incident could not have come at a worse time for the administration. Poor Andrew Brewer, Assistant Director of Annual Giving, has scheduled an event to collect senior gifts at the Senior Apartments tomorrow night. My guess is that seniors will be happy to take the free sandwiches and beer, but be far less generous with their wallets in light of recent news. Some seniors who have already donated have even been threatening to cancel their senior gift, but the viability of this option remains unclear. Furthermore, with many high school students expected on campus in the coming weeks, and many of them considering whether to accept CMC’s offer of admission, the Office of Admission must be concerned about an angry and unhappy student body expressing their feelings to prospective students.

The Fountain Party fiasco represents only the tip of the iceberg of student discontent.  This year the administration, led by the Dean of Students, has launched a concerted attack on CMC’s culture by canceling or amending many traditions. The Dean of Students indefinitely canceled TNC on the eve of Spring Break before announcing a reinstatement of the tradition starting this Thursday. In addition to beefed up security (reportedly staffed by the CMS Football Team) and fencing, TNCs will now be CMC-only with the exception of a guest list for friends of CMCers. The Dean of Students Office seems to be repeating the same strategy with the Fountain Party. After 26 years, the Madrigal Feast was canceled. Madrigal had been in danger for years and the Athenaeum had grown tired of holding the event, but it was a deeply unpopular move nonetheless.

Some of these have been attributed to Mary Spellman’s arrival at Dean of Students. Charles Johnson argues that killing traditions was her legacy at Sarah Lawrence College and he speculates that she was brought to CMC for that purpose. CMCers complained that with the Fountain Party and Madrigal Feast gone, two of the four traditions mentioned on Claremont McKenna College’s Wikipedia article have ended.[iv]

The CMC student body is deeply resentful of the administration’s assault on CMC traditions. A typical reaction was voiced by senior Max Mautner, “How can the administration be so stupid to remove a popular tradition just as an entire class is about to graduate?” In regards to the administration’s rationale for ending the Fountain Party, the reported complaints about students getting wet and professors disliking the noise don’t seem compelling to students. The fountain can be avoided with only a minute of extra walking time and the sound coming from the celebration can hardly be any louder than the construction of the “Taj MaKravis.” If some of these events are causing problems, the administration should proactively work with students and ASCMC to change them for the better rather than unilaterally canceling or modifying them.

More fundamentally, the administration’s approach seems guided by an overall strategy of trying to end CMC’s “party culture.” Way back in September, the administration met with RAs about semester-opening party events, stated that “things have to change,” and even threatened to turn CMC into a dry campus. If this is the administration’s strategy, they are highly unlikely to succeed. Fellow Forum writer Kevin Burke has made the poignant observation that partying is the dominant status game at CMC and the administration can’t change that reality. Moreover, the administration shouldn’t be in the business of trying to air-dry CMC. Students come to CMC knowing full well that we have an open drinking culture with parties available to all. Along with many other organizations, the Student Life Committee provides plenty of opportunities for socializing without alcohol. Students are capable of self-policing and feel comfortable criticizing their peers’ poor judgment. For most of its history, CMC has successfully discouraged drunk driving and alcohol poisonings by holding large, on-campus parties with a lax alcohol policy where students feel free to seek help if they need it. We absolutely should preserve this aspect of the CMC experience.

[ii] Despite Michael Wilner’s suggestion, I refuse to call this incident “Fountaingate”.

[iii] Yesterday, I emailed Dean Huang, Dean Nauls, and Dean Spellman to get information about this story. Only Spellman responded by telling me to speak with Dean Nauls.

[iv] Somebody evidently updated the article just hours after William’s announcement.

Dear CMC Students,

Last night, I sent an email clarifying that the Senior Thesis Fountain Party was NOT canceled, but that we were reviewing ways to make it less intrusive to the rest of the College. Later in this email, I am going to announce that the Senior Thesis Party can continue. However, here are some important points.

First let me say that I was the one who asked Dean Nauls to speak with the Senior Class President about ways to mitigate the intrusive aspects of the party. It was not Dean Spellman, nor Dean Nauls, nor anyone else. It was me, and I take full responsibility for it. Some of the vitriol that has been aimed at others was misdirected.

The reason I asked Dean Nauls to address this is because this event has not been without significant harm to a few individuals, and this has escalated in the last few semesters. In particular, students carrying laptops have been completely soaked, and they have lost everything on their laptop. Think about that for a moment; how would you explain to a student that the College condones this? And although it is less severe in nature, some faculty members have also said that it is difficult to continue teaching classes because of loud music. As an educational institution, we have to be concerned about this.

So I wanted Dean Nauls to speak with William Robelo-Lara about the event. It seemed appropriate for the Assistant Dean & Director of Student Activities to discuss this with the Senior Class President. Then a lot of misinformation about what happened began circulating in social networking sites.

This morning I met with William, Senior Class Gift Chair Kyle Block, and some members of the Dean of Students Office. We have agreed to let the Senior Thesis Fountain Party continue, in its old location, but simply want those participating to be respectful of others and noise issues. My concerns about this ought to be clear, and I am calling upon those who will be celebrating the end of Senior Thesis to be mindful of this. Have fun, celebrate, and please be respectful of others. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.

Now with regard to issue of student traditions, I hear you. Although the TNC’s were never “canceled”, it feels like we have tinkered with many social traditions lately. The issue of TNC’s had to do with the safety of the events, and we now have a plan for those concerns. As a show of good faith that I am not against traditions, I personally will toast the Class of 2010 outside of the Registrar’s Office at noon on April 26th. I will also invite a few surprise guests to join me in toasting you.

Sincerely,

Jeff Huang

VP for Student Affairs

Dear Seniors,

I am truly apologetic to those of you who are about to turn in your thesis this semester. Unfortunately, the Dean of Students Office decided to end the Senior Thesis Champagne Fountain Party. The Dean of Students office received several complaints by professors due to the ruckus outside of their classrooms and by underclassmen who ended up getting wet when they passed by the fountain. I’ve talked to Jim about this several times, and the Dean of Students have made up their mind and are ending this tradition for good. For those of you who are submitting your thesis this semester, I will give you your champagne bottle at the Senior Apartments. There’s not much I can do to reinstate this tradition, but what I can do is make our Senior Thesis Party the best that it can be.

Robelo-Lara followed-up with another email reassuring seniors that he would take up the matter with the Alumni Association and encouraged students to contact the Dean of Students directly.

Seniors who completed their thesis last semester celebrate at the fountain.

Multiple parties share responsibility in the policy shift. Fundamentally, students – and uninvited visitors – have been making a mess of the college’s dorms and quads. Out of $20,000 in damages quoted by Story House over the past year, 65% has been the byproduct of TNCs. “It doesn’t make sense for us to continue this pattern,” Dean of Students Mary Spellman said. “We’re not opposed to the event, but things need to be managed differently.”

Spellman added: “There’s reasonable damage and there’s throwing a chair at a window.”

Jim Nauls, Assistant Dean of Students, expressed strong feelings that the event had grown out of control. “Unless we do something about this, something drastic could happen,” Nauls lamented. “This kid that got his face beat in last week… it could have been a lot worse. It was a product of people not paying attention.”

The problem is twofold. Though big parties are often apt to cause damage, TNCs are usually hosted in spaces unsuitable for big parties. The result is overcrowding, impossible enforcement, and spillage into a secondary party outside the dorm. “The people congregating outside are just going to have to stay at home,” Nauls said.

Thursday Night Club, or TNC, was established only four years ago, originally as a small party revolving around a keg.

After informing them of TNC’s immediate suspension, DOS approached the new ASCMC administration with broad demands. In order to continue, the parties must be more tightly controlled, guests must be more strictly monitored, and damages that persist must actually be paid for.

Indeed, one major issue for the Dean of Students has been the debt ASCMC has accrued. Each year for the past four years, the student government has built up a massive Story House bill, putting off receipts until the end of their term – and often dumping them onto the next government, which is forced to pay a bill they don’t fully understand. The new ASCMC administration cannot then appeal the damage receipts, as most of them are from parties months past. “There’s also the issue of whether there’s downward pressure to meet your damages when you’re not going to pay for it – you’re just going to dump it,” said Vice President for Student Affairs Jefferson Huang. “Hansell inherited a bill; Isayas inherited one; Tammy is now inheriting one. It’s everyone’s problem.”

Story House has grown frustrated with the system, and has pushed the Dean of Students Office to press ASCMC on payments on an immediate basis.

“The expectation has been changed, and we’ll meet them on their expectations,” ASCMC Vice President Chris Jones said. “In the very least, we’re meeting the level that’s been met by past administrations. And if they change expectations, they should expect some adjustment time.”

Currently, the new ASCMC administration has been given a bill of $13,000 in damages for TNC parties.

“It’s not just because there’s a large debt owed. That in and of itself wouldn’t be enough for us to cancel [TNC],” Spellman added. “It’s just that, every week, more and more, there’s damage. And there’s a building attitude of, when the party ends, people can just leave garbage sitting. It’s getting worse.”

Jones and ASCMC President Tammy Phan would not rule out contesting portions of the $13,000 bill. But they were more concerned with taking preventative measures throughout their term, which started this week.

“The real problem is not the fact that the bills haven’t been paid,” Phan noted. “It’s the fact that we, as students, have caused thousands of dollars in damage over the course of a year. It’s that they have to be paid in the first place.”

Phan said, “We’re leaning towards any effort that will allow us to have TNCs, period.”

Jones went on to push back against the method of charging from Story House. “We’ve been mis-assigned charges very frequently,” he said. “It’s checking your rental car before you take it out of the lot. A lot of this is not ours.

Alexander Reichert, Dorm Activities Chair, has drafted a proposal that DOS has accepted as adequate. In response, DOS has lifted the ban on the assumption that his plan will succeed. But the implication is that ASCMC now holds full responsibility of what happens, and that the future of Thursday parties rests on their ability to curtail assault and vandalism.

“The first step is to increase security,” said Reichert. “The second step is to be more stringent on who we allow into our parties.” Reichert noted that TNCs would be smaller, and strictly CMC-only, with a possibility of a guest list for friends of CMCers from the other four colleges. But one goal is to avoid “Pitzer students coming in, and drinking the alcohol they never paid for,” he said. “We are open to making these 5C parties, but the other colleges will have to contribute.”

All TNCs will now card at the door for CMC identification, and will be fenced off. “Fencing sets a precedent,” Reichert added. “These parties can’t just be open and sprawling.” ASCMC will also be hiring security other than Campus Security, which has proven ineffective.

While Nauls, Spellman and Huang were originally in disagreement over whether to truly cancel Thursday Night Club for good, they have agreed to work towards a revised version of the event – knowing that parties will occur every Thursday, anyway.

“We were ready to actually pull the plug on TNCs to say stop,” said Huang. “It really came to a boil for us shortly before the ASCMC elections. I told Jim I thought doing that now would enter us into the issue of candidates, so we waited until after the elections were over.”

Dear CMC,

Welcome back from Spring Break! We hope that you got some R & R during the vacation. Back to reality, though… Recently, administrators in the Dean of Students office have canceled Thursday Night Clubs indefinitely. Why did DOS cancel TNC? For a lot of reasons. As you read in the last Party Inform, “This isn’t because of one specific incident, but as DOS examines certain policy issues TNCs will unfortunately remain off the Calendar.” And here are the some of those reasons:

• We aren’t taking care of our campus: Story House charges caused over the course of the year have amounted to over $20,000 of damages. Story House charges are incurred when:
  • Party hosts and attendees don’t clean up after the event and cups, cans, bottles, and other trash are left everywhere
  • Things get crazy–broken window screens, furniture, and glass, bloody walls, hand prints, etc.
  • Story House housekeepers clean things up for professors, prospective students, and visitors, often charging overtime for their work.
• Fights: TNC is actually a CMC-only event. When non-CMCers attend TNC (other 5Cers or off-campus), things tend to become unruly (AKA: people fight).

• TNC isn’t what it used to be: Once upon a time, TNC was a magical event for CMCers. Dorm presidents were responsible for creating an intimate event that facilitated small-scale social interaction. It was an opportunity for students to talk, dance, and relax from the workweek. Recently, however, things have changed. After the party ends, students congregate outside and campus safety isn’t capable of keeping things safe with such a large, usually rowdy, group.

What does DOS want?

1. An elevated expectation of dorm presidents and their responsibilities when they throw an event
2. Better containment at events, so there isn’t a large mob of people outside the designated area, or non-CMCers sneaking into the party
3. Facilitation of more efficient security with higher expectations for maintaining the events as CMC-only
4. Students (innocent bystanders, party guests, event host) taking the initiative to clean up after events and prevent dorm damages and holding one another accountable
5. All events not in private residents’ rooms, like Beirut tournaments, with a large number of students (20-30+) to be registered with Jim Nauls in advance

What is ASCMC doing to try and save our Thursday nights? ASCMC members have met with DOS and the DAC and SAC have submitted a proposal to the Dean of Students office. The proposal includes such measures as increased security, ensuring TNCs are CMC-only by enforcing CMC IDs, a greater variety of event locations, a focus on the quality of TNCs rather than the quantity of them, and incentive-based clean-up crews.

DOS wants changes or TNCs aren’t going to happen anymore. We’re hoping that these initiatives, although new and different, will allow CMCers to have our TNC-type events again and even improve the social culture of Thursday nights. Much of the proposal has been well received and DOS may grant one Thursday night event next week as a “trial run.”  

What can we do as a school?

• Register events.
• Take responsibility and clean up after ourselves.
• Listen to the RAs. They want to save Thursdays, too.

And now?

Our Dean of Students office believes us to be responsible adults.  We all know we have a social life unique from any other school and it’s important to take the necessary steps to preserve CMC’s long-standing social traditions.  Step back, put things into context, and understand that there is not going to be any significant change for the worst if everyone shows up and does their part.    Feel free to reply to this e-mail with any questions. Be sure to check the Forum and tomorrow’s Party Inform, where more information will soon be available.
Sincerely,

ASCMC

Many students feel that the room draw process is as arbitrary as drawing names from a hat.

In the past, students applied for apartments in groups of four, entering a weighted lotto in with each student was assigned a point value based on his or her number of credits.  This system divided students by semester as well as year, making it nearly impossible to get an apartment if you were a semester behind (or even one class short of completing a semester) without having another member of your apartment balance you out by being a semester ahead.

Under the upcoming system, which the administration plans to announce soon, there will be no more arcane points totals and unforgiving margins of error.  Students will simply be sophomores, juniors, or seniors, aligning the system with that used by the registrar’s office and making it rather more generous in the process.  This system will allow students who are behind academically, even to the point where they will be December graduates the year after their proper graduation date to be counted as members of their entering class for the apartment lotto, benefiting students who took a semester off or otherwise ended up behind in credits.

The committee also considered a scheme in which each member of a group would be assigned an individual lotto number and the group could use the highest of them in consideration for an apartment but it was poorly received by the Deans and abandoned.

The new College Park apartments will be integrated with the revised lotto system.

Sign up on facebook here, and be sure to RSVP with the Ath, as well.

There will be three 20-minute debates, with each relying on two student debaters and one moderator from the faculty or administration. The student debaters will go head to head while moderators provide insight into the issue and give legitimacy to the discussion. It’ll be serious but entertaining debate.

The first debate will cover the expansion of the College to 1400 students. With the addition of Claremont Hall and other building projects in the works, the Board of Trustees is considering plans to make the student body bigger, possibly part of a larger effort to raise the visibility of CMC within the national rankings. But is this the best choice for CMC? Will the fundamental nature of the college change with a population increase? What elements of CMC’s character would be lost? Or improved? What’s the best way to proceed with the expansion?

The second debate will switch focus to current campus life: Should CMC change its alcohol policy? The role of alcohol in campus culture has been a long time issue for the college, since CMC remains a wet-campus. This policy, however, has come under fire in light of recent alcohol-related incidents, and the Dean of Students office has stated that “things have to change.” Do they? If so, how?

And for the final debate we will turn to a question that often goes overlooked, but seems to merit consideration: Is CMC male-dominated? The college abandoned its single sex admissions decades ago, and the name Claremont Men’s College only a few years later. But the college continues to be majority male, while outside CMC, women make up 57 percent of college students. Does this mean that CMC has a bias towards males? Do women have a different role on campus? Even if they do, does it even matter?

A full roster of debaters and moderators will be announced shortly. Stay tuned for updates, previews, and more.

Sign up here: http://bit.ly/athdebate2