That said, the thought of dating is also potentially stressful; figuring out what to wear, who’s to pay, how reserved to be, navigating awkward situations and trying to gauge the interest of the other person. Now the Forum can’t help you with any of that, but what we can help you with is potentially the hardest part of all; figuring out what to do. Obviously a good date-plan will come from knowing the interests of your date, but if you’re stumped for ideas give one of these a try!

Traditional Date

From Union on Yale Facebook page

This date is admittedly not creative: Dinner, Movie and the Bar. Cliche as it may be, even the oldest standbys are standbys for a reason. Try starting your night by taking a walk into the village and getting some pizza from the village’s newest restaurant and bar Union on Yale.  Get a table outside by the heaters (inside can be distractingly loud). The restaurant is trendy with a friendly and fun atmosphere, perfect for a first (or second) date. From there, head over to Laemmle to catch a movie. If you want to prolong the date a little longer, stop by Eureka Burger for a drink or two: they have great cocktails and an outstanding beer selection. Some nights they have live music, and if you go on a Wednesday night you get a glass you can keep with whatever the beer special is that night, a memento for you to remember the date forever.

If you’ve got a car, another spin on this traditional date would be to take your partner to the Mission Tiki Drive-In Theatre in Montclair; comfortable, classy, and you have to ability to chat with your date during the movie if you so choose.

Dates don’t all have to be about eating or doing something stationary, there are plenty of options right around Claremont for more active dates. For example, beat the California heat by taking your date ice skating in Ontario-Mills. Admission and rental skates cost $9 per person, and you can find their public skate hours here. If that’s not enough activity for you, grab your date and head for the hills! There’s plenty of beautiful, good, mellow hikes for people of any fitness level. Claremont Wilderness Trail at the end of Mills Ave is a nice loop, and Barrett-Stoddard Truck Road (also known as Storybook Trail) a trail off of Baldy rd. has some great views.

Adventurous Date

Photo from skydiveelsinore.com

Sometimes the stress of school can make you want to jump out of a plane or off a bridge. Why not take those urges and make them into the best date ever? Skydiving and bungee jumping are activities sure to get your adrenaline pumping, and they will give you the opportunity to see your date in a completely new context outside of his or her comfort zone. If you want to quickly  bond with your date, high-intensity outings are a must. As we learned from Dr. Love last semester, high stress situations like skydiving, roller coasters, or bungee jumping produce a lot of oxytocin, a chemical hugely involved in building relationships. If these ideas are up your alley, check out Skydive Elsinore, and Bungee America. This is a pricey date idea, but also an experience of a lifetime and a date you and your partner will never forget.

Cheap Date

Admittedly, so far the dates I’ve recommended could do a number on your wallet and require a car. I don’t mean to suggest that all dates must cost a fortune: in fact you can have a perfectly romantic date without ever leaving the 5C’s. Start off by getting takeout from the dining hall of your choice. Grab a blanket, a bottle of wine, and head over to the Pomona Green across from Bridges and have a picnic. Once dinner is over, there are many options for what comes next. One of the greatest advantages of the consortium is the sheer number of opportunities of things to do. With minimal digging (Good Morning CMC, E-mail alerts, and Facebook events are great places to start) you can plan the date around an on campus event like a Without-A-Box performance, an a cappella  concert, a big sports game, or even ballroom dance lessons. To those who think an on campus date would be lame, you aren’t trying hard enough to find interesting opportunities.  It could definitely be one of the cheapest and most interesting dates you ever go on.

Beach Date  

Photo from Paradise Cove website

Whenever I go back home, one of the most frequent questions I’m asked is, “So do you go to the beach a lot?” to which I always respond, “Occasionally, but not as much as I’d like to.” I imagine this is the same for most people; you get wrapped up in things on campus and go to the Scripps pool when you get the urge to swim or lay in the sun. A date is a perfect opportunity to get out of the Claremont bubble and actually visit the great beaches our friends assume we go to on the reg. Beach options are truly endless around here (Santa Monica, Venice, Laguna, Huntington), but if you want a less well-known option try Paradise Cove in Malibu. It’s a reasonably priced and casual restaurant with outdoor seating (definitely sit outside) and its own section of private beach.  With the beautiful scenery, hot weather, and wide array of activity offered by the waterfront this is a date sure to be both memorable and fun. One word of advice though, this is a date that will require a lot of conversation due to the long car ride and downtime on the beach. Make sure you have some ideas of conversation topics and activities ideas that you can pull out if the conversation hits a lull. Try to think ahead of things you can do on the beach, like frisbee or building sandcastles.

Okay CMC, now go forth and woo! And commenters, we would love to hear from you too! Share your stories! What other date ideas do you have?

While many students who came into CMC with strong backgrounds in their high school bands, orchestras or art programs have adjusted to CMC’s lack of an art program, some still ask for CMC to change its ways.

Sophomore Chelsea Durgin says, “Students would really benefit from art as an outlet to the stress of school… I think that a lot of students at CMC are extremely talented in the arts, but they can’t express themselves because of the CMC reputation.”

Devashish Dey performs at the Athenaeum (Photo by Warren Bessant)

For students from neighboring schools and artistically-inclined CMCers, the school’s image as a leadership-driven institution for go-getters has left its commitment to the art world by the wayside. CMC has abandoned some traits of average liberal arts schools and become the economics-oriented school that it is, but as Durgin says, this doesn’t mean that CMC students are devoid of any artistic talent.

The idea of pursuing art on campus has inched into the spotlight with the appearance of Stark’s new piano and with growing involvement with arts organizations at the 5Cs. Yet, some students still argue that CMC is not currently an art-friendly school and believe that there is a stigma associated with pursuing a degree in the arts.

Freshman Becca Rosenthal says, “At the very least we can start putting student artwork in Kravis, but ideally there should be an arts GE.” Those who are proponents of larger changes to CMC’s image like Rosenthal argue that the school could start embracing its liberal arts label by requiring students to study art.

For other students, calling Claremont McKenna a liberal arts school is almost a misnomer. CMC has a unique approach to providing students with a well-rounded education: we receive the benefits of a liberal arts school, yet we’re unlike any other. One of the things that sets us apart is a focus on creating leaders in business and the professions. Advocates of CMC’s leadership-oriented mission point out that our access to the resources at the other 4Cs – including arts programs like theater, music, studio art, and art history – allow us to bypass the implementation of our own arts program.

Indeed, those who actively pursue the arts have many opportunities, even as a CMC student, to be involved in the arts. A CMC-specific theater club Under the Lights allows students an outlet for artistic expression. Other 5C opportunities include taking part in KSPC, Pomona’s student radio station; an acapella choir like Shades; or Without a Box, the Claremont Colleges’ improv group. For those students willing to integrate with the rest of the 5Cs, the abundance of artistic opportunities on our neighboring campuses offer CMCers a chance to pursue their artistic passions with ease. The beauty of the consortium is that each of the schools can specialize in a few fields, instead of attempting to do everything at once, which would be redundant and ineffective.

Local band Songword performs at the Motley on Scripps College campus (Photo by Yuqiao Guo)

The accessibility of the other Claremont Colleges and their strengths in the arts balance out the unique liberal arts appeal of CMC. The administration faces a choice between encouraging the appreciation of art at CMC and offering art programs on CMC’s campus. But one thing is sure: when it comes to whether art should be more encouraged on campus or remain an untouched issue, Freshman Erika Sa says, “I want more!” The best resolution is for CMC to encourage students to appreciate and participate in some form of art, but continue to utilize the other art programs in the Claremont Consortium instead of devoting resources and time to building a new one at CMC. In other words, take advantage of the resources that the consortium offers.

CMC students’ interest in pursuing art academically is less common perhaps than at other 5C institutions. Appeals for drastic changes to CMC’s academic focus seem to be coming from a unique group of students who would like CMC to acknowledge the importance of art by offering art programs on campus. However, this desire does not seem to apply to most students and thus no change will likely be made.

But CMC students as a whole do not disregard the arts entirely. The claim that students don’t care about art because CMC is a school focused on a couple of strong programs is simply not true. It is true, however, tacking on an art department to CMC’s academic offerings would not increase the benefit to CMC students enough to justify the cost. It would be both widely beneficial and much easier for the student body to simply ask CMC for more on-campus practice rooms or to see more student-made art in the hallways of our dorms. Adding small things like pianos or providing an area just to hang out and play music would give CMC some artistic flavor of its own. We don’t have to drop our reputation as a school of industrious students in order to appreciate the arts – we can embrace it without becoming a run-of-the-mill liberal arts school. With the new piano in Stark and the ever-growing involvement of students in artistic programs on and off campus, it seems like we’re on the right track.

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!

Entering KSPC is like walking into a BBC documentary about pop culture through the ages. The walls of the basement-studio are completely covered with posters, stickers and pictures of bands, concerts and funny slogans. Photos of old student DJs and some famous personalities adorn the waiting room.  The hippie/indie paradise is completed with the presence of two turntables and shelves packed with endless rows of CDs and vinyls, showcasing the amazing collection of underground music that the station owns.  In the main room are the two sets of broadcasting/recording equipment where the DJs work.

KSPC (Or KSpaCe, as it is now known) is a 24 hour station that was founded at Pomona College in 1956. It is a designated educational radio station that is committed to promoting music that major commercial radios will not air. From classical music to electronic, KSPC has a huge variety of shows. There is a strong emphasis on “non-mainstream” music, and DJs try to promote great indie and underground bands.

KSPC is run by students of the Claremont Colleges on a volunteer basis and this non-commercial, interest based functionality only adds to its charm.   Along with music there are many quirky and engaging talk shows like the “Sunset Review,” which is an older show that includes “comedy cuts, novelty records, and its own brand of gentle silliness, biting satire, and sardonic absurdity.” Another show, the “NightCap,” is a popular sports radio talk show featuring eight members (4 CMCers) that airs on Monday nights from 8:00pm to 10:00pm. The station even devotes time to public announcements and news casting, making it truly a station of all trades. Some of the shows are even hosted by volunteers from the local community.

Drake Escrofani Broadcasting a Show

College radio allows student DJs to discover and share music and ideas that they have discovered, a unique opportunity in most college students’ experiences. There are some CMC DJs at KSPC as well. Drake Escrofani (or DJ Dashiel) has a show on Monday evenings that “ranges from Indie Pop to electronic.” Kevin Wallentine (an IR major) is the head of the World Music department and hosts the international music show. Students can come in for DJ training and even apply for their own show. All volunteers at the station have to put in volunteer hours every week where they listen and review new music for the station.

KSPC runs on a non-commercial basis and receives a lot of its music from underground record labels. I have discovered a lot of new music by listening to KSPC 88.7FM and hope that more students follow the channel and work at the station in the future.

KSPC can be streamed live online at this website.  Give it a listen!

See below for more photos. All photos were taken by the author.

The Sunset Review

Kevin Wallentine

KSPC Broadcasting Studio

KSPC CD Collection

KSPC LP Collection

In the Lobby at KSPC Headquarters

I caught up with the guys outside the apartments, where they were enjoying a mid-afternoon cold beverage and some characteristically intellectual conversation.  Cooper and Jeffrey each have a distinct sense of style that’s informed by their wide-ranging interests. They’re neither pretentious nor conformist, and always wear what they find most appealing, appropriate, and comfortable.  Next time you see Jeffrey and Cooper bicycling around Claremont, be sure to note their swag.

Cooper, you’re looking dapper today.  What are you wearing?

I’m wearing Levi’s 511 jeans—they fit well, so I just buy these in every color I need. I have on my Adidas Originals high-tops, a striped scarf from Fred Perry, and a button-up.  This is a J. Crew peacoat and sweater; I like J.Crew because you can dress nicely without paying a ridiculous amount. Their clothes are conservative, and hearken back to timeless styles that won’t look dated anytime soon.  This is one of my Nixon watches—I have two, because they’re simple, casual, and go with everything.

What inspires your personal style?

I think trying to stay on the cutting edge is kind of a losing battle.  You’re going to lose the battle if you wear a lot of the dumb sh*t GQ tells you to wear.  I read something about how we should all “wear yellow” right now.  I would strongly advise against wearing yellow.

For me, I’d say old films are most inspiring, in particular the French “New Wave.”  I like the looks from many Jean-Luc Godard films, like Jeanne-Pierre Léaud in “Masculin Féminin.” I think the Italians are a bit too flamboyant, but the French always look terrific.

What do you think someone’s style says about him or her?

It’s the first, immediate interaction—and that’s integral.  People always say style is a good way to show your personality; I guess that’s true, but then you run into trouble with the label obsession our culture has.  People might call you a “hipster” or “prep,” but I think it’s really about whether you’re well-dressed or not.  Jeffrey and I are completely different in our styles, but we both try to dress well.  That’s all that really matters.

What article of clothing could you not live without?

Well, there’s shoes.  You can’t get in too many bars without shoes.   I also love my peacoat—my sister hates it, but I love it.

Who on campus do you think has the most killer style?

I think Tyler McBrien (’13) really got it right with Professor Lobis.  Those spectacles—they’re awesome. Professor Petropolis, the chair of History department, is also very well put-together.

How has your sense of style evolved over the years?

I’ve gone through a lot of phases, you could say.  I’ve been through the punk phase, the I-don’t-give-a-shit phase…  I’ve built off each of those phases.  I still wear a lot of the things I’ve accumulated, but in a new way.

If CMC were any article of clothing, what would it be?

It’s got to be the tank top.

Jeffrey, you’re looking excellent yourself.  Tell me what you’re wearing.

I’m wearing some burgundy loafers, navy blue socks.  Burgundy cords, a button-down, and a cardigan sweater.  We don’t need to talk about labels—we really don’t.  This gold watch I’ve had for a while—it’s my fathers.

What inspires your style?

The weather.  I’m from Pasadena, just nearby.  I always check the forecast for the day to see what’s appropriate.  Also, comfort—comfort is key.

On a side note, I’m interested in what actually defines today’s style.  We look at britches or hoopskirts and think “costume”—what will people 100 years from now call our “costume?”

What do you think someone’s style says about him or her?

It’s the first thing you see.  In our culture, we’re all about the visual.  Often times that thing that’s inside the shell might not correspond with how someone sees you.  It’s always better to just be yourself.

Who on campus do you think has the most interesting style?

Professor Eric Haskell at Scripps.  Oh man, he monograms everything.  I’d never seen a monogrammed sweater, but he has one.  Wow.

How has your personal style evolved over the years?

In high school my uniform was khakis and a shirt and belt—all day, every day.  Then I started accumulating things, like Cooper, and incorporating them.  We’re young, so we’ll be acquiring things for some time.  If you’re able to buy nicer, well-made things, you can wear them the rest of your life.  This is just the beginning.

How would you describe CMC’s sense of style?

Ultimate comfort.  And I suppose it is just comfortable to wear sweats or a t-shirt…

What’s your biggest style DON’T?

Tight clothes.  Very tight clothes.  It just looks awkward.

What article of clothing could you not live without?

I’m in love with these shoes I’m wearing, and I think I’ll just buy them the rest of my life.  These tassels—they are little mink tails.  I was buffing them one day and the tassel came off, so I added these fur tassels myself.  Plus, they keep my shoes clean.

Want more style? Check out Falling for fall, Sweet and Petite and Wear it CMC.

Plaintive emails and rampant rumors about Claremont McKenna College’s very own housing crisis leave many students picturing hundred of homeless CMC’ers posting up in tents on Green Beach. Ever since the Dean of Students office asked students to volunteer to either move off-campus or create triples out of double rooms, the buzz on campus seems to revolve around who is willing to make sacrifices for returning CMC’ers – and most students are less than enthusiastic. Katie Browning, a junior studying abroad in Chile, puts the problem in terms we can all understand with what she calls “The Pong Dilemma.” She explains, “Everyone loves the game and wants to play, but there are never enough tables for everyone to show off their bounce shots at once! Someone’s gotta be kicked out and go fill out the slap cup team.” The slap cup team may be less glamorous – but what if skipping out on those glorious bounce shots saved you $400? It appears the question now is, who’s going to volunteer to join the slap cup team?

A standard double in North Quad

Unbeknownst to most students, the housing situation at CMC is as intricate and impossible to predict as a 3-D puzzle with a thousand pieces. Among the contributing factors to the problem are the number of students who study abroad or off-campus in D.C., the number of students taking/returning from a leave of absence, those that are suspended, transfer in, or drop out of/extend their study abroad experience. Additionally, the financial aid CMC offers has fewer students choosing to transfer out of CMC. Kristen Mallory, the director of the Off-Campus Study office, is one of the lucky administrators in charge of juggling all these students and figures. She estimates that roughly 10-20 students will be without beds on campus but will not know for sure until January when all these factors play out.

Though Dean Eric Vos declined to be interviewed until the issue has settled down, it is clear that the housing dilemma continues, in part, because many students are reluctant to move into triples or find housing off-campus. Freshman Lauren Henderson believes the Deans’ request is unreasonable, stating, “There might be enough room for an extra bed, but definitely not enough room for another person’s stuff.” Students in singles are just as resistant to the idea of losing their coveted spots. Even students who look at the situation objectively, like freshman Amelia Evrigenis, worry that there are too many variables. Evrigenis offers “I thought that it might be a good opportunity to live in a triple, but I didn’t know how my roommate would feel about it, who could move in, or if I’d really want to commit to that.” As an LA native currently abroad in China, Priscilla Hsu offers “if worst came to worst I could attempt to commute from home” but explains that solutions like this one are more logistically difficult (and costly) than living at CMC.  It seems students and administration alike are scrambling to find a favorable solution.

Berger Hall holds 32 singles

From on-campus resources, financial difficulties, to missing out on part of the college experience, off-campus students shared their worries about returning without housing. Hsu explains that the issue is of great financial importance.  She offered that her decision to live on- or off-campus would be contingent on the meal plan and financial aid benefits and that she would be “really upset” if she didn’t have on-campus housing. Quinn Chasan, a junior spending his semester in Washington D.C., also vehemently professed his desire to remain on-campus. He recognizes the benefits of living inside the CMC bubble, “I’ve lived on my own for the past 6 months here in DC…So, no, I want to have all of the amenities that come with dorm life.” Browning appeals to her fellow students saying, “If there wasn’t a place for me on campus I would feel like I was missing out…the experiences you remember the most and that stay with you for the longest are those that happen at 3 in the morning on a Tuesday night when you really should be in bed.”

 CMC’ers on-campus and off-campus alike voiced their concerns over the way the situation was handled.  Browning explains that despite the fact that CMC doesn’t necessarily guarantee housing, “it almost seems like they do” since about 97% of students live on campus according to CMC’s Residential Life webpage. The number of students willing to bite the bullet–or join the proverbial slap-cup team–and move off-campus or into a triple is in fact dwindling, but this is no new problem. This year, Scripps College (as CMC has done in the past) will rent out a floor of one of Pomona’s dorms and house 20+ students on their campus. CMC almost followed suit until a student suggested allowing students to move off campus. This message was incorrectly conveyed to the student body at large and, voilà, the rumors began that the DOS office was kicking students out of their rooms and forcing them into bad housing situations.

Dean Eric's most recent email to students

Mallory explains her office’s sticky situation stating, “I know everyone wants to study abroad with their friends, or be an RA, or have an internship. I know all these reasons yet something has to give. So what do I do?” Though many students are eager to offer criticism, few CMC’ers are willing to offer viable solutions. Regardless, almost all students interviewed agreed that they would have appreciated a warning further in advance. Freshman David Leathers agrees there is simply not enough time and “finals and the holidays are going to dominate student’s minds [more than] a $410 financial incentive.” Browning offers a humorous alternative to the housing hubbub, calling out to her fellow students, “Is anyone down for Occupy Pomona’s New Dorms?” even offering, “I’ll help make the signs.”

 If this year constitutes housing mayhem, housing pandemonium may break out next year as well.  Mallory reports that the off-campus survey she sent out asking who was interested in studying abroad pulled in responses from 170 students who plan on studying abroad in the Fall and 77 who plan on going abroad the Spring term.  Mallory explains that the problem is not the Dean of Students Office, the Off-Campus Study Office, or the students themselves.  The real obstacle is that students enjoy living on campus so much that fewer in recent years have wanted to leave.  The problem, she states, “It’s no one’s fault.  It’s that people love CMC.  And that’s a good problem to have.” This housing crisis is up to you, CMC students, to fix.  If you truly have stag pride and CMC love, approach your administration with your own solution.

Most people think that the average Claremont McKenna College student is probably an econ-gov dual major with a sequence in TNC festivities.  That does not mean that we do not have other interests.  As we all battle it out to get into astronomy and the least boring Econ 50 class, it is easy to forget that the 5Cs are a consortium of liberal arts colleges with a lot to offer and it is time we make use of their diversity. I sent emails to seven different professors, begging them to admit me into their classes claiming that I was an art, music, history, IR and lit major, depending on the class.

Here are a few of the hidden gems out there, outside of CMC, on the Portal that you might overlook otherwise.  They are meant to be different and outside of the sections most students typically look for courses.  These classes might not help with your major or count as a GE, they might be held at the far corners of the 5Cs that you did not know existed, and you might find some extremely “interesting” kids in them.  One thing is for sure, you will definitely enjoy them.

Farms and Gardens

As a proud member of the CMC community garden, this class immediately caught my eye. An Environmental Analysis class taught by Professor Richard Hazlett at Pomona College, this course is all about farming and maintaining gardens.  It is a seminar with one classroom session on Monday evenings.  The class also has a 3-hour outdoor lab at the Pomona organic farm every week.  The course covers both real life field work and a scientific understanding of agriculture and horticulture.  If you want to grow your own food or have a garden some day, this is the class for you.

Professor Hazlett

Class:  Monday – 7:00 PM to 9:50 PM

Farm Fieldwork : Thursday – 1:15 PM to 4:00 PM

Black and White Film Photography

There are a few introductory photography classes taught at the 5Cs.  The black and white class, taught by Professor Auerbach at Pomona, deals with the practical aspects of film photography and developing, as well as focusing on techniques used in photography and the works of famous photographers.  Unfortunately, the course is really popular and hard to get into (especially if you are a CMC freshman… two marks against you). Luckily, there are excellent introductory courses offered at Scripps, Harvey Mudd and Pitzer as well.  These courses work with both manual and digital cameras. Art 143 at Scripps, Digital Colour Photography is a different course but might interest people more interested in modern photography as it deals with editing and computer software. Anyone interested in photography should definitely consider these courses.

Professor Auerbac

Class: Monday and Wednesday – 1:30PM to 4:00PM

Listening To Popular American Music

Before you shy away, this class is not about Nicki Minaj and the pop of today.  Rather, it is analysis of music as it developed in the United States through the 20th century.  The course taught at Pomona by Professor Rockwell studies blues, rock, funk, folk and even rap and pop.  It also has to have Bob Dylan in there somewhere, so I’m pumped.  There are a lot of students who are interested in music, and this class provides an ideal platform for a serious listener to take an interest and focus and analyze.  Besides, wouldn’t you like to get a credit for listening to music?

Professor J Rockwell

Class: Monday and Wednesday – 1:15PM to 4:00PM

Sex, Body and Reproduction

Ok, the third term is a put-off, but otherwise, the course should not be drab.  Professor Chao teaches this class at Pitzer and counts as an anthropology credit.  There has always been a cultural stigma against the open discussion of sexuality and reproduction, this course aims to explore these topics from an academic perspective.  The course catalog describes the class as: “Drawing on historical, ethnographic and popular sources, and examining the cultural roots of forms of knowledge about sex, the body and reproduction.”  The course studies the description of sex and sexuality in medical, historical and colonial discourse.  Anyone interested in the human mind and sexuality would be fascinated by this course.

Those interested should also consider “The American Sixties” and “Writing the body.”

Food and American Culture

A Harvey Mudd College class, Food and American Culture deals with social importance of food in the United States.  This is a really interesting class for anyone that takes their meals seriously (like I do).  The course not only deals with hot-dogs and burgers, but also with ethnic food and the cuisines from minority groups.  The professor explains that: “The course will feature a variety of sources and approaches ranging from traditional scholarly analyses to more hands-on experiences doing field research, cooking, and eating.”

But it is not all saliva-producing, the course addresses issues such as food production and changing patterns of cultivation and consumption and is a good mix of light and heavy matter.  It also deals with changing dynamic of minority and ethnic food and how it is leading to social flux.  A number of CMC students have taken that course and give very positive reviews about it – so it should be as good as it sounds.  Good thing it is after lunch.

Professor H Barron

Class: Tuesday – 2:45PM to 5:30PM

Africana Soccer World Cup 

AF 150 is taught at Scripps and is a course that combines soccer, literature and global culture in Africa.  It is part of the African studies major and involves studying the importance of soccer and the changing culture and economy in Africa.  Soccer (football) fans will appreciate focus on the game and how it affects a continent that is growing through flux.  For all you sports fans, this sounds like a fun and enlightening class.

There are a few other extremely interesting sport related classes taught at Pitzer including “The political economy of world soccer” (which is a must given the current financial and social upheaval the sport is going through) and a history class on the Olympics!  Who said fulfilling your history GE had to be boring?

Professor A Waberi

Class Timings: Monday and Wednesday – 1:15PM to 2:30 PM

Environmental History Of North Africa and the Middle East

When I emailed Professor Khazeni asking him about this course, I learned just how relevant it is for EEP, IR, EA, African Studies and History majors.  Pomona’s History 141 is sure to be extremely eye-opening and challenging .  The course explores the environmental history of the Middle East and North Africa since 1500, exploring the ways societies have shaped and, in turn, been shaped by their natural environments.  It studies the relationship between societies and the environment around them.  Desertification, OPEC, food cultivation and the evolution of cultural geography are sure to be covered in what is definitely a relevant, interesting and serious class.

A word of warning though: this class requires an original research paper (from primary sources) which can be quite challenging, but also highly worthwhile.

Professor A Khazeni

Class Timings: Tuesday – 1:15pm to 4:00PM

Basic Acting : Tools and Fundamentals

I have met so many students who participated in high school theater, but stopped when they came to college.  This class is excellent for students who love acting and would like to have a chance to pursue it at college, without making the massive time commitment that being involved in serious theater productions entails.  There are many good introductory theater classes available at the 5Cs and this is only one of them.  Professor Blumenfeld and Professor Martinez teach two of these classes, so anyone interested will have a decent chance of getting in.

Professor Blumenfeld

Class: Monday and Wednesday – 1:15AM to 4:00AM

Professor Martinez

Class: Monday and Wednesday – 9:00AM to 11:00AM

This is only a short list, and there are many other classes that should be included.  Sure, this list is obviously biased somewhat by my interests, and there are definitely many other subjects and classes that will appeal to all of you.  I simply wanted to highlight a few classes that most people would have missed otherwise and remind everyone that not every class offered is an econ or gov class.  As you select your courses over the next few days, go on the portal, click on all those random links, explore areas you would have missed otherwise and enjoy the next semester.  Sometimes the best classes are the ones that you would never even think to look for.

If you are looking for more options next semester, check out our list of the ten classes you HAVE to take before graduating. Got more hidden gems? Please share them in the comment section below.

Photo Credit: Dani Roach

The year 2011 marks the first time the Claremont Colleges took part in this challenge, under the initiative of Jenna Tico, a Scripps senior from Santa Barbara. Tico discovered Thrill The World at a dance class in her hometown and had been attracted to the charitable mission of the group. Each year the proceeds from the event go to a non-profit of the local coordinators’ choice. Jenna picked the non-profit Women For Women, an NGO dedicated to help women war survivors across the world to recover and rebuild their lives by providing them with job training and rights awareness workshops. Thanks to individual donations as well as the 57 dancers’ own contributions, Claremont’s Thrill The World generated $700 in just one night.

The performance was held at 7:00pm on Scripps’s Jaqua Quad and drew a large number of students as well as families from the community. Tico took on the multiple roles of public relations, fundraising manager, and dance instructor. “I started putting it in motion before thinking how difficult it would be,” she admitted. However, she gushed, “It was great to bring silliness and joy to the colleges!”

“It was a lot of work,” said Tico, remarking on the press releases, maintenance and technical support of the event itself. Seeking approval from the Scripps administration, she said, was particularly difficult.

In the end, the event almost threatened to fall apart. At five minutes to seven, their Internet connection failed, potentially causing major problems for coordinating their efforts. Even worse, half of the lights for the show had died already. But six minutes later, much to everyone’s relief, the video had made it to the internet, where it joined thousands of other Thriller enthusiasts in establishing a new world record once again.

And the best part of the project? In Tico’s words, “Seeing people who had never danced before, showing up and believing they could do it.” The success of the event drove many to volunteer for organizing it next year.  The date for the 2012 event has already been set, and video tutorials can be found online: It’s never too early to get in on the act for the next world record!

Photo Credit: Dani Roach

]]> http://cmcforum.com/news/11082011-the-undead-reach-for-the-gold-and-thrill-the-world/feed 1 http://cmcforum.com/news/11072011-announcing-monte-carlo-2011 http://cmcforum.com/news/11072011-announcing-monte-carlo-2011#comments Mon, 07 Nov 2011 16:00:32 +0000 Ana Kakkar http://cmcforum.com/?p=31645 Many often complain that Claremont McKenna College is losing the few traditions it has left. This year, the Associated Students of Claremont McKenna College is trying to bring back these traditions.  Few current students realize that Monte Carlo, a tradition that dates back to 1949, is actually the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps homecoming. Jim Nauls, the Assistant Dean of Students, remembers when Monte Carlo had an attendance of 1800 across all 3c’s only a few decades ago.  It rivaled only the Starlight Ball, the equivalent to the current Wedding Party.

A Queen crowned at the traditional 3C Starlight Ball

This year Monte Carlo, which will take place on Saturday, November 12, reverts to its namesake theme and will see the revival of many past traditions as well as the beginning of a few new ones.  Connor Barclay, class of 2013 president, explains that this year’s Monte Carlo is all about “recapturing tradition.”

While last year’s party was still well attended with almost 800 students, the vast majority of them were from CMC. This year ASCMC hopes to see higher attendance from Harvey Mudd and Scripps College students alike, encouraging both schools to join in the festivities. The aim is to bring back the camaraderie that used to be pervasive in the event. As such, Barclay explains that ASCMC has been coordinating an effort to increase awareness, excitement, and participation from the other two colleges. He notes, “This was the one time a year that the three schools really came together and we have lost that.  We are trying to recapture that spirit this year.”

With tradition in mind, ASCMC is announcing the revival of the Monte Carlo Homecoming Court – for the first time in decades, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps students will be able to nominate and vote on homecoming Kings, Queens, Princes, and Princesses.

The Forum will hold write-in nominations through Wednesday, November 9 at midnight, followed by run off elections for the top four nominees for each class at Monte Carlo on Saturday night. “Each class will be able to vote for a prince and princess – endearingly termed Royal Fawns – who will be chosen by a vote tally at the end of the night,” says class of 2012 president Mary Doyle. The Senior class nominees with the most votes will be crowned the Stag King and Athena Queen.  Each class will only be allowed to vote for winners within their own grade – however, anyone within the 3c’s may nominate or be nominated to win. You can nominate the Royal Fawns here.

Another, perhaps even older tradition will be returning as well this year. Going stag isn’t stag tradition – and this year “ASCMC is encouraging students to break from the norm and bring a date with a contest,” says Barclay. This year there will be a contest for the most creative Monte Carlo “asking” by 3c students. Between Tuesday and Thursday students can email hhyatt12@cmc.edu to inform us of the time and place they will be asking their date to Monte Carlo, and the Forum will send a photographer to take pictures of the affair. On Friday, the photos will be posted online and open to a vote by the Claremont community. Whichever couple is voted the most creative asking will receive two free tickets to the event and be announced alongside the homecoming court.

As always, guests from outside the 5Cs are welcome.  Barclay reminds students that they must register guests with their Resident Assistant before Saturday, November 12.

The event itself boasts 45 casino tables and dealers from Atlantic City Gaming, and will feature the band “The Trip” who played at Wedding Party 2011. Fully tented and set up at the old tennis court, the event will have a full dance floor, chocolate fountain, and all the normal accoutrements. Among the host of prizes, will be a two-day, three-night trip to Vegas for two, which will be awarded to the student who wins the most money throughout the night. The other prizes, including a trip to Paris, will be given out through a raffle among the remaining students.

Before the nighttime festivities, the Stags Football team will take on Pomona-Pitzer.  The two teams will battle over the Peace Pipe at 1:00pm on Zinda Field.  ASCMC is also hosting a tailgate party outside Duecy on the outdoor basketball courts.  The tailgate will start at 11:00am. If you are interested in going, please send your meal card numbers to criva13@cmc.edu.

Monte Carlo is this Saturday, November 12, at 9:30pm on the Smith Tennis Courts. You may purchase tickets here. You may also nominate the “Royal Fawns” here.

This is one of the major recruiting regulations placed on the SCIAC that seriously hinders teams in the conference from recruiting at the same level as other teams across the nation. The focus then for teams in the conference is to get recruits to campus on a visit. “The best way for us to secure a recruit is to get them here on a campus visit,” says CMS Athletic Director Mike Sutton. “I can talk to recruit on the phone as much as I want, but rarely is a prospective athlete going to commit without coming on a visit beforehand.”

SCIAC specific recruiting regulations also complicate this process by restricting coaches from paying or even helping to pay for a recruit’s travel expenses. These regulations hurt  SCIAC teams because a lot of recruits don’t have the means or funds available to travel to southern California for an official visit. This reinforces local recruiting and makes it the major focus within SCIAC athletics. “We try and work around the regulations,” says Sutton and “really focus on local recruiting remembering the general rule of thumb that college athletes want to go to school within less than a day’s drive of their home town.” For example looking at California Lutheran’s football roster, a team who has won back-to-back conference titles and is currently ranked #12 in the nation, there is a clear focus on in-state recruiting. This year only eight out of over one-hundred players are from out of the state.

The effect that these restrictions have on the national success of SCIAC teams is difficult to determine because there are so many other factors that play into how well our teams do in the playoffs. Location is a large factor that makes playoffs a more difficult road than for other teams across the country. In the past SCIAC teams have had trouble securing a home game in the playoffs and often have had to travel hundreds of miles for a first round game. Strength of schedule also brings about its own challenges for SCIAC teams.

Regardless, the reality is that SCIAC athletics have had little success on a national level. Looking at football, men’s and women’s soccer, baseball, and men’s basketball the SCIAC has been practically silenced by the rest of the nation. Division III men’s basketball, women’s soccer, and football have never seen a team from the SCIAC conference even compete in a national championship. Since a Division III national championship was implemented for baseball in 1976, only twice has a SCIAC team played from the championship. You have to go back to 1995 when the University of La Verne defeated Methodist or 96’ when Cal Lutheran lost 6-5 to William Patterson. The 1983 CMS men’s soccer team has been the only school from the SCIAC to compete in a Division III men’s soccer championship. The Stags ended up losing 3-2.

So what is the future for our conference? Lifting these restrictions from the SCIAC would be difficult to say the least. “There needs to be a compelling argument that proves that every team in the conference will benefit from the rule change,” says Sutton. Persuading a committee would be tricky because there are definitely rules that affect certain programs more than others. In this particular situation, most SCIAC programs are not affected by the restrictions that limit funding official visits because most teams don’t have enough funding to even pay for traveling expenses. However, for CMS and Pomona-Pitzer funding visits is an expense that could possibly become feasible based on the caliber of the recruit. At the same time, universities in the SCIAC with lower admission standards could possibly become even more dominant in local recruiting if contact restrictions with recruits were removed.

“These are all factors that we need to think about before making a decision like this,” says Sutton. For now, there seems to be no real desire brewing to have these restrictions lifted so in the mean time SCIAC athletics will have to focus on what has worked for them in the past and continue to do their best in securing recruits within the guidelines that currently stand.