The final vote was 10-1.  The lone dissenter was Vice-President Miles T. Bird, who took to his personal Twitter account to voice his complaints – tweeting “#teammiley.”

The concert will be held on Saturday May 5, the last Saturday before finals week. ASCMC President Aditya Pai ’12 justified the scheduling decision as being “beneficial to everyone. Finals week is stressful, and we feel that 115 decibels of pure, unadulterated teen pop would help ease tensions.” In order to reach the maximum number of listeners, the concert will be held on Pomona’s Walker Beach, with all speakers facing towards Honnold-Mudd Library.

In order to subsidize the cost of tickets to CMC students, ASCMC will be hosting the first annual Henry Kravis Leadership Auction, which will feature priceless CMC artifacts. Items up for auction include Jim Nauls’ caps lock key, Professor Brock Blomberg’s aviators, and Professor Ward Elliott’s fishing hat. The auction will be held at the Athenaeum this coming April 4, in lieu of the Robert Gates event.

Four years may seem like a long time, but, as we realized, it can go by more quickly than one could ever imagine.  One minute you’re arriving on campus for freshman orientation and the awkward first roommate encounter, and the next minute President Gann is handing out diplomas and suddenly life in Claremont has disappeared in a flurry of job applications and interviews.

Before the time slips away, there are some things students absolutely should do before leaving Claremont.  While we made our own bucket list, and have worked hard on the weekends crossing many things off, this list is intended as a suggestion for students looking to explore and make their own memories – a starting point for everyone to incorporate their own unique goals and interests.

My best advice as a senior is to not waste time worrying – instead, spend more time doing… and enjoying.

10. Discover the Claremont Village.

Neighbors meet at the village market

Claremont isn’t exactly a booming metropolis, but there are many fun parts of the Village that Claremont students never take the time to experience.  Hidden gems like C.K. Cafe, which has free WiFi and a fantastic tea selection that includes the special blooming flower teas, are great places to study or just to hang out.  Likewise, Eureka! Burger is a great place to visit, with a rotating beer selection, visiting brewers, and “Steal the Glass” Night on Wednesdays.  While some make it a goal to visit every restaurant in downtown Claremont, it’s also worth it to expand that goal to include going to events in the Village.  The Sunday morning farmer’s market, held from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Second Street, has fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as honey, hummus, pita, and local artisan crafts.  It’s a great place to grab groceries for the week with friends and prices are often cheaper than in stores.  On Fridays from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. students can visit the Green Market at the Packing House, where vendors bring food and crafts to sell at great prices.  Students staying in Claremont over spring break will find many options for fun close to home.

9. Cheer on C-M-S at a sports game.
Although CMC doesn’t have the big-school sports frenzy like USC or UCLA, C-M-S events are not to be missed.  Division III events can be just as exciting as Division I, especially when you’re rooting for people you actually know.  It’s a great way to show friends that you care by supporting the Athenas’ undefeated basketball season, or going to a track meet to see a friend hurdle her way to victory.  And how better to show that guy in Econ 50 that you like the way he talks about the demand curve than by cheering on his water polo team?  Not only are C-M-S sports events fun and exciting, but they’re also a great way to bond with friends.  Game schedules and results are posted online at the C-M-S webpage.  Even at a small school, spirit is important.

Students at an open mic night perform a cover of Weezer's "Buddy Holly".

8. Attend a student theatrical or arts performance.

There are many organizations that put on plays, open mic nights, improv shows, and musical performances around the Colleges.  The CMC theater group, Under The Lights (UTL), puts on several performances each year, including their One Acts – a night of one-act plays – and the perpetually classy Dinner Theater performance at the Athenaeum.  “The name of the dinner theatre play is ‘Finnegan’s Farewell’ and it is going to be performed the evenings of April 9th, 10th, and 11th,” says UTL President Jen Baute (CMC ’12) about this semester’s play, a comedy involving Irish drinking songs.  These students work hard for weeks to put on a professional and entertaining show, and they rarely disappoint. Plus, they always have great refreshments.

7. Go to Karaoke Night at Sushi Cruise or hit up El Ranchero for Mexican fare.
Sushi Cruise, the restaurant shaped like a boat and home to the infamous Claremont Roll, Rainbow Dragon Roll, and many other California sushi fusion masterpieces, is also the home of Thursday night karaoke.  Not only does Sushi Cruise have a huge selection of songs for karaoke, they also have big screen displays for the lyrics and an incredible waitstaff that will participate in the festivities.  The Claremont icon has a great all-you-can-eat menu that is even more valuable with the 10% off coupon you can find on the CMC Forum – valid with a student ID.  El Ranchero, which is on the same block as Sushi Cruise, is another option for a fun night off-campus that is great for larger groups.  They have incredible specials, like the popular “dollarita,” that make it a must for the tail-end of spring break. El Ranchero is big fun, small price.

6. Spend a day downtown.

Hollywood attractions are easily accessible by Metrolink and metro busses.

Lots of people take trips to the beach, but fewer people take the time to explore downtown Los Angeles.  Although Claremont can feel far from the city, it’s quite accessible: by Metrolink train it only takes 50 minutes to get downtown (and it’s only about $7.50 each way, compared with $18.50 or more each way, plus parking, if you choose to drive).  L.A.’s Union Station is just walking distance from attractions like Olvera Street, an old-town Hispanic marketplace and the  the oldest part of Los Angeles.  The Walt Disney Music Hall is very close to the train station, as is the L.A. Museum of Contemporary Art, which charges just $5 for student admission every day (closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays) and has free admission on Thursdays from 5 – 8 p.m.  For lunch, hit up Grand Central Market, an open-air plaza famous for homemade mole and the fresh, El Salvadorian specialty food, pupusas. Helen Kim, a senior who frequently visits the Los Angeles downtown area added, “You can take the Red Line out to Hollywood to see the Kodak Theatre and also the Purple Line if you wanted to go explore Koreatown.”  There are always new places to discover and there is always something going on downtown.  Whether it’s a museum exposition or a cultural festivity, the possibilities are almost endless.

5. Explore Mt. Baldy.
The image of Mt. Baldy in its snow-capped glory standing majestically behind Bauer Center is one with which we are all familiar.  We see it on postcards, emails, and even the CMC webpage.  But how many students have actually been to the top of Mt. Baldy?  How many have been to the bottom?  Mt. Baldy presents so many possibilities. In the winter there are often online deals from Groupon.com or Livingsocial.com that offer discounts on lift tickets or snow-tubing passes.  In the fall there’s a swim-suit hike organized by Pomona’s On The Loose program (OTL, an outdoor activities organization).  The town below the ski area, named after the mountain, is a fun place to visit before or after making it to the top.  For upperclassmen, there’s the Mt. Baldy Pub, with the Mt. Baldy Lodge right next door for those who want to make a weekend of exploring the mountain.  In addition to great hospitality, the good people of the Lodge lead moonlight hikes.  And for students of all ages, there is Buckhorn Restaurant, which has live music on the weekends (and a free drink special on its website), and the Mount Baldy Trout Pool, where students can try out their casting skills.  The trout pool has all the rental equipment necessary, as well as bait and lures.

Spring break is a great opportunity for road trips with friends.

4. Impromptu road trip with friends
Whether near or far, a road trip with friends is a must in college – especially in Claremont.  Claremont is uniquely located, where it’s only a three to four hour drive to Las Vegas or Death Valley, two hours to San Diego (where there is great beach camping), and six hours to the Bay Area and great outdoor spots like Big Sur.  Companies like Zipcar have made it even easier to get away for the weekend, with cars in Claremont available for members.  With online discount sites like Kayak and Priceline and deals from Groupon and other community sites, it’s easy to find a last-minute place to stay.  And great camping spots are only a Google search away.  Don’t have the gear? The OTL gear room is open from 7-10 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and has everything you’ll need.

3. Go all night at the Marathon Party.
It’s not uncommon to pull an all-nighter for class to write a paper or study for a midterm exam, but attending a party with friends and classmates that lasts all night is much more memorable, and much more fun.  The 24-Hour Party is planned every spring by ASCMC to involve activities that last an entire twenty-four hour period, from noon on a Saturday to noon on a Sunday.  Events range from swimming, to wine and cheese tasting, to karaoke, and even huge games of tag.  This event is also purposefully inclusive of students who choose the dry lifestyle; it’s more about fun with friends than about anything else and designed for maximum participation by everyone.

2. Participate in Ski-Beach Day.
Ski-Beach Day is the infamous day when a group of students ski for half a day and then hit the beach.  It’s an event unique to the Claremont Colleges, where students are close enough to the mountains to drive up to resorts like Mountain High and ski until noon before hitting the beach for some tanning, swimming, and good eats. This is an event few people will ever do outside of college.  Since it’s subsidized by the College and it’s planned out by the Student Life Chair (SLC), it’s well worth it to take advantage of this trip.

1. Get ponded or pond a friend.

Enjoy these pictures taken by Caroline Nyce and Sean McQueen.

Reminisce the second marriage

For all the pictures taken at wedding party, check out the Forum’s Facebook page or Flickr account.

No one special in your life at the moment? Enter Like Secret. Co-founded by Pomona freshman Jesse Pollak, Like Secret is an easy (and anonymous!) matchmaking app that may just score you a date this Tuesday night.

Launched just over a week ago, Like Secret has already gained over 400 users and is growing fast. Here’s how it works: Log into the site using Facebook and click on the friends you are romantically interested in. They then receive an anonymous notification that someone is interested in them. If they log in and happen to pick you too then you are matched up! If not, your secret is safe with them (read: it’s a really simple way to avoid rejection).

Yes, you heard right—gone are the days when sending red roses from “your secret admirer” was the best way to inform your crush of your interest. Welcome to the 21st century, where having zero game or being sick of hoping your crush can read your mind at TNC are officially non-issues.

Sure, online matchmaking sites are nothing new. Match.com is a wonderful way to meet people if you’re willing to create a public profile. Not only does this kind of site cost money, any member of the site can contact you (Like Secret is only between Facebook friends). Like a Little is also fantastic if what you are trying to do is write a post about how it was love at first sight in Collins last Thursday and wait for Guava to reciprocate that sentiment. It may never happen.

Pollak says he got his inspiration for starting the site when he realized that neither Match.com nor Like a Little really served the role of providing an online connection between young people. “I was lying in my bed on a Saturday night and the idea just kind of hit me: most dating sites are all about setting you up with people you don’t know, why not flip that idea on its head and focus on setting you up with people you do know?”  Unlike Like a Little, Like Secret allows more than just anonymous online flirting: it allows people to form real connections.  Pollak’s site is especially useful for college students, who nearly never use online dating sites, but are almost universally addicted to Facebook.  ”I think [college kids] see friends hooking up with people and think that something is wrong with them if they need help meeting people. In reality though, everyone struggles with dating and relationships and the success of dating sites has shown that people really do need help,” the co-founder explains.  Like Secret, he hopes, can serve this valuable function for people of all ages, but especially for students looking for romance on a campus far removed from the passion-filled world of “The Notebook.”

Now I don’t want you to think I’m some pessimist who cries herself to sleep at night wishing Noah Calhoun went to the Claremont Colleges. What I’m saying is that Like Secret is a means to an end. It is completely anonymous and it really works (trust me, my friend and I just tested it out). So give it a shot and if all else fails, well…like I said, I’m single.

There are some upcoming improvements for Like Secret as well.  Some ideas in the pipeline are a messaging platform to contact your matches, and the ability to set up friends you think would hit it off. So if Screw Your Roommate ended up going a little more like screw-over your roommate, it may be time to give Like Secret a try.

It was a busy semester at CMC.

CMC moved up in the rankings to the 9^th best Liberal Arts College in the country.

The Kravis Center officially opened to students and faculty.  The Living Room (affectionately known as ‘the Kube’) attracted students’ attention  after some technical difficulties and the administration’s initial decision to limit access to students. This was all before the Kube became home to one Pomona student’s temporary interpretive dance studio.

The fall semester also celebrated and embodied student leadership at CMC.  Students started a movement to do a better job of cleaning up after parties and led an effort to change our campus conversation about sex and gender norms. Trying bridge the gap between our Building Attendants and their residents, the Forum got to know some of CMC’s friendliest staff members. CMCers led a campaign to be more environmentally friendly on campus and coordinated a day of reflection on 9/11. Others took the lead in social activity planning, expanding student involvement with Dean of Students and creating the College Programming Board (check out the big name they are bringing to campus). Student initiative also brought the popular TED talks to the Claremont Colleges, hosting a TEDx conference in September.

CMC also faced a number of challenges in the fall of 2011: an unexpected over-enrollment of students forced the conversion of two popular study spaces into four-person rooms and a large number of students returning to CMC in the spring from fall study abroad programs led to an on-campus housing crisis.  The story behind the “Marks Squatter” brought some humor to a rather-serious-but-now resolved issue of on-campus visitors.

The Associated Students of Claremont McKenna College was hard at work all semester, advocating for students on issues such as increased study spaces, building a better quality of life, and providing some much needed snack time.

The Occupy Movement swept the nation this semester and arrived at the doorstep of our Claremont Colleges. Students were active in the protests in Claremont, Los Angeles, and the rest of the nation. Indeed, two Pitzer students were arrested for their involvement in the Occupy LA protests.  Political dialogue was alive and well, especially towards the end of the semester, when CMC welcomed former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to our campus. Many 5C students, however, had a different plan in mind and formed an “unwelcoming” party for Rice’s visit. The planned protests forced a change in venue for Rice’s speech, which triggered an outcry from students. While the protests stirred up quite a controversy, the civility and political discourse throughout the evening exemplified students’ diversity of thought, without provoking violence or hostilities.

The Forum sat down with our very own college president Pamela Gann and discussed her current and future projects for the school, which included a revamp of the beloved North Quad and expanding the new Center for Civic Engagement.

But it wasn’t all business this semester at the Forum. Speaking with Paul Zak, a.k.a Dr. Love, the Forum got to hear the Doctor’s thoughts on love, life, and how giving 8 hugs a day will make the world a better place. Those student globe-trotters enjoying their study abroad experience took time to write home to CMC and share their experiences from far-off lands such as Washington D.C., South America, Italy and Oman. And for those bright-eyed freshmen, returning students and Dean Spellman gave them their two cents (sometimes musically) on how to navigate their first semester and discover how great this college really is.

We uncovered the top 5 companies that hire CMC students, brought Words with Friends lovers the 10 most useful Scrabble words, and suggested 8 classes to students that might have overlooked some academic treasures. Students contributed to the ongoing discussion on topics such as art, film, pop culture, public radio, music and concerts. And despite the delicious unveiling of a new Ath menu, the Forum offered some tips on how to stay healthy, even in the face of all those Rice Krispie treats.

A-Mitch even appeared for an encore.

ASCMC hosted a number of events this semester, improving on past traditions—Monte Carlo—and even starting some new ones—The Boardwalk Empire party and No Shave November. We know you can’t wait for the Wedding Party next spring—and neither can we. Expect even bigger surprises next semester.

Our tech guru offered some awesome tips on his #CMCTech blog, including advice on how to make your work faster and more effective, thoughts on the Semester in Silicon Valley Program and even a holiday gift guide (it’s never too late to get that perfect present).

The Forum also better incorporated sports into our publication. The Forum now offers live broadcasts of all home CMS athletic games, complete with video and audio from student broadcasters.  We celebrated triumph, defeat and the utter domination at SCIACs.  The publication also took and in-depth look at sports at CMC and uncovered how SCIAC rules hurt CMS recruiting high school athletes and what many are doing to save the Intramural program.

Outside of the CMC bubble, the Forum checked in with our beloved Claremont village, celebrating the once-in-a-century Zipcode Day (9/17/11=91711) and partaking in the delicious festivities at the California Beer Festival.

It was a busy semester and time for reflecting has just begun. First, we would like to thank you, our readers, for your support, comments, advice, kindness, crudeness, humor and thoughtful discussion. But, we have one more request. The Forum has grown considerably in the last semester but we want to know how we can continue to improve. Below is a short survey that we hope you will fill out so we can make this publication stronger. We look forward to hearing your constructive thoughts, suggestions and comments.

The Forum wishes you a wonderful break and a restful holiday. We promise to bring you the best in news, opinions, and insights from Claremont College students as we enter our spring semester. We hope you’ve enjoyed reading with us this fall, and we’ll see you in 2012!

ASCMC hosted this year’s first formal event, The Boardwalk Empire party. Students bought their wristbands for $5, which covered the live band, refreshments, and dancing lessons.  So was the fee worth it?

Here’s what the freshmen had to say about keeping it classy:

“I liked how everyone was dressed up and everyone looked really good. I liked the change of pace from the normal parties from the sweaty mosh pits. It was nice to be classy. CMC is a very classy school. I feel like we should embrace that more,” said Charlie Montgomery ’15.

“It was a real classy way to end the week,” Stephanie Braziel ‘15

“It was one of the very first parties we made a profit out of. It was successful and a nice way to slow down the pace. If we could change one thing we would get two more bars for next year,” said ASCMC Executive Secretary Stephanie Haft ’15.

“The Boardwalk Empire was a nice change to CMC’s normal ragers. It gave the student body a chance to dress up and dance to swing music,” said Braden Crockett ’15.

“CMC cleans up real nice,” said Gracie Coburn ’15.

Photos by Karan Malik

Fair to Midland, a quintet originating from Sulpher Springs, Texas, have outlived each and every one of these trends.  Initially formed in 1998, the band self-released two albums before being signed by a record label operated by System of a Down’s Serj Tankein, Serjical Strike Records.  The signing, which netted widespread distribution of Fables From a Mayfly, the band’s 2007 major label debut, granted them appearances with alt-rock titans such as Queens of the Stoneage, Smashing Pumpkins, and Muse.  Despite critical acclaim for the album (Sputnik Music even listing it as one of the top 100 albums of the 2000s), the band found themselves eventually displaced from the label and suddenly in creative and financial limbo.  With constant tour appearances, the band’s future seemed in question: Even for titans of alternative music, four years stood as a monumental waiting game for anxious fans, even as demo-recordings of a handful of tracks leaked to the internet.

The wait, as it turns out, was worth every second.  On July 12th, Fair to Midland released their fourth studio album, the triumphant Arrows and Anchors on E1 Records.  Boasting 15 tracks, including several of the group’s iconic interludes, the album is, without a doubt, the best release of 2011.  Fair to Midland’s sound has always been difficult to classify; it’s a combination of hard rock, ambient electronics, and shoegaze aesthetics.  On the album opener (spare for a brief organ introduction), the towering “Whisky and Ritalin,” the group turns a discordant intro into a danceable punk groove before launching to the stratosphere by showing off one of their signature melodic choruses.  Those unacquainted with modern hard rock should look no further for an introduction to the genre: no other band can write a hook that utilizes the elements of the genre with such refined skill.

Track-by-track, Arrows and Anchors holds its own quality-wise against any album of the last five years.  On lead single “Musical Chairs,” bassist Jon Dicken takes the band through a groove-oriented verse that offers just a small sample of his remarkable contributions to the band’s identity.  ”Amarillo Sleeps on my Pillow” (which can be downloaded for free from the band’s website) has guitarist Cliff Campbell wielding instruments typically reserved for country music, including a resonator and banjo, before launching into an unparalleled chorus of down-tuned syncopated guitars.  Drummer Brett Stowers’s off-beat rhythms on “Short-Haired Tornado” power into a chorus that would make Icelandic post-rock titans Sigur Ros jealous, and on the penultimate track, keyboardist Matt Langley powers a groovy synth line resting above some of the heaviest guitar work on the album.  Throughout, vocalist Darroh Sudderth makes a compelling argument for being the best vocalist in modern music, demonstrating tremendous range and dynamic ability, with stream-of-consciousness lyrics incorporating folksy sayings alongside vivid imagery.  But, just like in sports, it’s not the individual performances that matter, but those of the entire team, and Fair to Midland is peerless in this regard.  Never has the whole been this much greater than the sum of its parts.

The resulting record is immediately gripping and endlessly listenable, yet even in the face of such a record, Fair to Midland suffers from the ironic fate of being a band that can’t seem to break through to mainstream success purely because of how unique they are.  Attempts to describe the band in terms of other artists are futile: Fair to Midland simply ARE Fair to Midland.  It is here, however, that one of the band’s other remarkable strengths comes into play (no pun intended).

The modern musician has at his/her disposal a literal arsenal of tools to keep in touch with their fans.  Facebook and Twitter enable even the prolific likes of Kanye West and Lady Gaga to network directly with fans, and while Fair to Midland makes use of Facebook, a band that’s been around since 1998 has a few other electronic tricks up their sleeves.  Back in the younger days of the Internet, bands frequently set up online forums to pass news to fans and to unite them under a single banner in the form of street teams.  While this tradition has, for the most part, gone by the wayside, Fair to Midland’s fan community remains vibrant and strong, with a street team spreading word of the group all over the United States, Europe, and rest of the world.  Fair to Midland’s forum is even moderated by a member of the band, Stowers, and frequently is used as a way to foster dialogue from performers to enthusiasts and vice versa.

For all that electronic presence, nothing can truly compare to face-to-face interaction, and no other band offers such care for their fans.  At a typical Fair to Midland concert, the band members can be found mingling outside the venue, taking photos and excitedly signing merchandise for those there to watch them play.  The personality comes across in live shows with exuberant theatrics and from, it should be said, being proper human beings in general.  Many artists (Kings of Leon notoriously come to mind) find their careers catapulted into the spotlight, only to lose touch with their suddenly massive fanbase.  For these fellows from Texas, the give-and-take with this fanbase has always been an elemental part of their identity and success.  It very well could be the old adage, don’t forget where you came from.  Fair to Midland has not forgotten.  As the band prepares for a European tour to close out a momentous year with future domestic tour dates around the corner, 2012 could be their time to shine, and shine they deserve.  If ever an act had paid their dues to the open road, it would be these boys, with a folksy sentiment not often seen in contemporary music.

Want more music from Dan Evans? Check out his 3 part series on can rap be saved? Here is part one, two and three.

The display at the east door of Malott Dining Commons

Two cardboard cutouts outside Malott Dining Commons at Scripps College sparked recent controversy on campus. The cutouts, which were set up by the Health Education Outreach (HEO), depicted two girls covered in vomit and bruises with ripped clothes and used condoms in their pockets. The cutouts were labeled “Eurotrashed 2011″ and were accompanied by a sign that read, “You wouldn’t start your night like this. So why end it this way?”

In a statement released later that day in response to student concerns, HEO explained that the display was based on a YouTube video from the ”Know Your Limits” campaign, which was used during Peer Mentor and Resident Assistant training this August. (To see the video, click here.)

Before putting up the display, HEO contacted the Scripps Dean of Students office on Monday and got conceptual approval for the cutouts. On Friday, October 7th, representatives from HEO installed two displays at Malott – one each at the North and East entrances. At first, they were removed because they had not been approved by the Scripps Activities and Residential Life Office, but after they added a contact email to the display, they were approved and put back up.

Emily Yau (SC ’13) saw the cutout right before eating lunch. “Initially, I did a triple take and was like, ew, what’s that?” Yau expected to find copies of the display at the other colleges, or at least a male version of the cutout. “When I found out that there were only cutouts of girls, that really bothered me.” She is also concerned by the inclusion of condoms on the cutout. “They’re not supposed to be commenting on morality here, and aren’t we supposed to be using condoms?” She thinks the posters got people talking but not about the right issues.

The display at the north door of Malott Dining Commons

Rachel Picher (SC ’12) also took issue with the display. In a public Facebook note, Picher analyzed the cutouts from a feminist perspective. “These images present alcohol consumption as the cause of several female-engendered experiences of shame and use this shame as a deterrent to excess alcohol consumption … The deployment of female gendered shame may be an effective tool to keep women from drinking, but it will not keep women well.”

After receiving complaints from two students who were upset by the display, Antoinette Meyers (SC ’12), the student body president, removed one of the cutouts and took it to the Dean of Students office to talk about how to address students’ concerns. Later, a representative from HEO removed the other cutout. Currently, both cutouts are on display in the HEO office.

Andrea Kablanian (SC ’12), a Peer Health Educator at HEO, was surprised that students responded so negatively to the display. She wants to assure students that Scripps College was not being singled out: “This was a campaign we were interested in using throughout the year before several parties, and Eurotrash happened to be the first.”

Kablanian explained that it might have been a coincidence that both cutouts were female. The cutouts were made by tracing the outlines of two Peer Health Educators, and two of the students on shift when the display was being made were female. “Our time limitations only allowed for two to be made, so we decided we’d have them at Scripps, seeing as the party was going to be [there].” Elizabeth Wilmott, Acting HEO Coordinator, confirmed that plans to display the cutouts on other campuses are still moving forward and that HEO intends to make a male display.

Scripps College Dean of Students Rebecca Lee acknowledged that the cutouts had upset some students, but she made it clear that overall she supports alcohol education initiatives. “Frankly, I am concerned there are some students who end up looking like the cutout and have been found displaying aspects of what was depicted.” She pointed out that the cutouts probably drew more attention than a simple poster. “With education, the element of controversy is sometimes a good thing. I hope this controversy is also raising awareness and results in students getting involved with assisting HEO and Scripps in identifying better approaches to this most important issue.” In an email addressing Scripps students about the event, Dean Lee encouraged students to “accept HEO’s offer to engage in dialogue” and directed students’ attention to a forum discussion about Scripps’ alcohol policy.

Between 2004 and 2010 the Associated Students of Claremont McKenna College accrued a bill of $28,508 in cleanup charges from Story House. That’s an average of $4,072 per year. To put that into perspective, last year’s White Party cost $3,933 after accounting for revenues from ticket sales. After skillful negotiation, the final bill paid by ASCMC to Story House for this time period amounted to $10,494; that’s still $1,500 per year that could have been better allocated to funding another Dodgers game trip, renting out the village theatre for a movie premiere, or simply increasing club budgets.

It might be justifiable if we were paying groundskeepers an increased wage, but we’re not. Story House is not liable to discuss individual wage rates, or even collective wage ranges, for house and grounds employees, but they informed me of the following party cleanup costs. For non-overtime clean ups, Story House charges $36.00 per hour of labor for grounds keepers and building attendants. For overtime cleanups, they charge $54.00 per hour of labor. The word “overtime” in this context is a bit of a misnomer, because Story House employees aren’t technically allowed to work more than 8 hours per day. Rather they are required to complete their normal duties in addition to party cleanup within their normally allotted work schedule without billing Story House for the extra work. Story House then imposes an additional rent (the difference between the worker wage rate and either $36 or $54) on this labor. Especially on weekends, such an arrangement places building attendants and groundskeepers under particular duress. They must commute to and from CMC again, thus increasing their travel costs and forcing them to shave the extra hours off of the following 40 hour work week, all without significant changes in their overall compensation. It would be hard to argue that the current arrangement fairly compensates CMC’s building attendants and grounds crew for cleaning up our parties. Thus, the current state of affairs is neither efficient nor equitable: ASCMC loses $1500 and Story House employees are not compensated for their extra time and effort.

Have you ever wondered why we have a great alcohol policy at CMC, one that allows us to socialize and interact without worrying about ‘big-brother’ looking over our shoulders? The Dean of Students Office affords us our drinking privileges for one main reason: they trust us to socialize and party responsibly. This trust is hard earned, and violations of it result in real consequences for our on-campus social life. The Dean of Students Office created an Alcohol Task Force after several incidents of alcohol poisoning at the beginning of the year in 2009. In addition, the Dean of Students Office canceled TNC for a month last year after the appearance of unregistered kegs at the year’s first TNC. When it comes to party cleanup, the Deans have no interest in explaining to the Admissions or Public Affairs offices why tour groups and campus visitors walked through North Quad on a Wednesday morning only to find several lounges completely unusable. Nor for that matter should they. The more we clean up after ourselves, the more we affirm DOS’ trust in our responsibility. This will help preserve our current drinking privileges and socially-open campus atmosphere.

Now that we’ve grasped on the economic and strategic factors governing party cleanup, let’s examine the most important aspect: leadership. CMC’s focus on leadership is, in my opinion, the characteristic that fundamentally differentiates us from other schools. There’s something in the students here—an unrelenting drive for success and self-improvement, the conviction to articulate and defend our beliefs, the unpretentiousness to admit when we’re wrong and learn from our mistakes—that collectively defines us as CMCers. It is these same traits that allow for our post-graduation success, whether in business, finance, academia, medicine, government, or any field at all. But with great leadership comes great responsibility. Psychologists and management theorists have long known that within institutions and organizations, agents lower in the power hierarchy model their own behavior after those at the top. This observation is true outside the workplace. If your experience was similar to mine, as a freshman you respected and looked up to the upperclassmen to better know what it meant to be a CMCer in the social sense. The importance of leaders as behavioral models is among the reasons that the concept of ‘institutional memory’ is so important in both government and the private sector. Once a respected authoritative leader has established the status quo, his/her model becomes very difficult to change.

The status quo of our campus party culture is unacceptable. As good people and exemplary future leaders we should clean up after ourselves not only because it saves us money, benefits our incredible building attendants and grounds crew, and affords us a certain autonomy in our relations with DOS, but also because taking full responsibility for one’s actions is a fundamental pillar of good leadership. CMC, please, let’s pick up after ourselves.

Thanks to the actions of other student leaders such as SPEAR Presidents Ben Feldman and Hillary Haskell, this task will not be particularly difficult. Going forward, there will be red trashcans at all ASCMC parties, specifically for recycling the infamous red cups. If you don’t want to throw away that Solo cup immediately (I’ll admit there is some celebratory utility derived from slamming a cup on the ground after a good game of flip cup) then please, take two minutes at the end of the night to pick up and throw away 5-10 pieces of trash. In the near future, these red Solo cup recycling bins will be available to check out from Story House for any social event, so we can keep our lounges clean even after private events, thus reducing dorm damages for all. On Thursdays and Saturdays, I will be sticking around to clean up after the party. I sincerely hope you’ll do the same.

I encourage everyone to criticize, discuss, and contemplate this article in the comments section below. However if you would like to be involved in rotating six-person student cleanup crews—this obligation will involve approximately 1-1.5 hours of cleaning one Sunday afternoon per month—then please send me an email (wbrown12@cmc.edu) or give me a call (443.690.5364) and we’ll get you on board.