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.

A giant sports banner in Ducey gym reads, “3 schools, 2 mascots, 1 spirit.” But do we really have one spirit? The Stag and Athena mascots divide us, splitting our spirit in two. The jumbled, half combination “Stagthena” reminds me of stagflation, and I’d rather not think of economics when cheering for sports.

Before Claremont had a women’s sports program, Claremont-Mudd shared a sports team, the Stags. Once the women’s program was added in the late 1970s, there was some talk over what the mascot for CMS should be.

According to Michael Sutton, the current director of athletics for CMS and a CMC alum, there was a lot of push to go with one mascot and logo. However, a lot of CMC alumni weren’t willing to change the mascot from the Stags, and the women’s athletics weren’t willing to accept that mascot.

While the widely known and accepted current definition of stag is a male deer, the word carried several negative connotations for quite some time. The third definition of stag, according to dictionary.com, is “a person who attends a social gathering unaccompanied by a partner, especially a man who is unaccompanied by a woman.” The fourth definition is “a social gathering for men only.” And one of the adjective uses: “pornographic” (i.e. stag films).

Sutton also said that in the 60s and 70s  ”Stag” often referred to activities objectifying or demeaning women. While he admitted that he’s unsure how much weight this definition still holds, he added: “I guarantee you that if you surveyed some women (about the term) they’d be offended.”

Hence, the CMS committee was reluctant to band behind the Stags to encompass both the women’s sports as well. Out of this controversy, the Athenas were born.

Since the definition of Stag has changed substantially over time and I doubt anyone even knows of the old definitions, I don’t think people find it offensive.

On a quick tangential point, it probably disturbs a lot of you, as it does me, that if ‘stag’ truly was an offensive term, it was still allowed to be our school’s mascot, even if it was once a men’s college. If it really is chauvinistic, it remains that way with or without the presence of women at our schools. But that’s a topic for another article.

Sutton noted that while our current two-mascot predicament is odd, it works. “The conversation (to consolidate to one mascot) has come up over time, and we haven’t come up with a better plan that we’ve felt strong enough about,” Sutton said.

“At the end of the day, since we haven’t come up with a more popular idea, we are fine with what we have” he noted.

Some student athletes feel differently.

Carmen Lundell, CMC ’13, feels the differing mascots divide the rift between male and female sports even further. “The problem is that when you go to a sporting event that’s a coed sport there are Stags and Athenas there, so people have to choose between the two. So people say, ‘Go Stags,’ typically,” Lundell, a varsity diver and former track runner commented.

Both track and field and swimming and diving are coed, and it’s tough for fans – and for students – to feel like they’re cheering for one team when the mascots are divided.

“I see it as further perpetuating the stigma against women’s sports. People do choose to cheer for Stags. I would say there’s no guy here – maybe a couple – that would say ‘Go Athenas,’” Lundell added.

We can change the rift that having two mascots creates. If we all became Stags, at least women’s sports – and women at the school for that matter – wouldn’t feel left out during the cheers.

Having two mascots also further divides our fan apparel. The CMS athletics website has separate merchandise for Athenas and Stags apparel. Students are explicitly choosing whether they are supporting male or female sports based on what apparel they buy. This clearly divides us.

So why should we consolidate to just Stags? Why not change our mascot entirely?

There are some solid arguments against changing our current mascot. Although the word stag has some remnants of its past offensive definitions, the word merely means “male deer” for most people. Most students probably don’t even know the other definitions exist, or even care.

Additionally, the Stag mascot already has name recognition in Claremont. Since the term probably doesn’t offend anyone anymore, there’s no reason to completely take away from a dominant, well-liked symbol. And the fact that a stag refers to a male deer specifically does not exclude female members of the student body. A stag is an animal, and I would no more feel a kinship to a female animal than a male one.

And most importantly, Harry Potter’s Patronus is a Stag, which should be reason enough.

Ultimately, it’s more worth it to have one united fan base – one mascot and one spirit – than to continue the divisions the dual mascots bring because of an antiquated definition.

But hey, at least we’re not the Sagehens.

Editor’s Note: This article was written independently of the Idea Night talk by Jen Rignoen ’12 on March 6.

Carmelo Anthony

Such is the life of the 2011-2021 New York Knicks.  As any Big Apple team, they came into the season with expectations from an over-zealous fan base and media hub.  The additions of Carmelo Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Tyson Chandler over the last 20 months have rejuvenated a franchise that has seen their bad days over the last five seasons.  There were high expectations, but the team faltered out of the gate.  Through the team’s first quarter of the season, they had a 6-10 record and were in the midst of a 2-11 run.  New York was disappointed, but their breath to see how the team would play for the remaining three quarters, hoping for a run to put them back on the map.

The run came, and the Knicks are back in the game.  Much of the run was dependent on PG Jeremy Lin, a player who was endanger of being cut two weeks ago but is now part of the Rising Starts Game during All-Star Weekend.  Lin has critics raving over his play and basketball enthusiasts cheering for him.  His shot takes too long.  He can’t cover the faster point guards in the league.  He turns the ball over too much.  He can’t play help defense.  Sure, some of the criticism is valid.  However, Lin is the perfect example of a player who found one thing he is much better at compared to everyone else, and he has been exploiting it: driving to the basket.  Lin has the quick first step to get even with his defender to get level with his defender if not getting past him. With that advantage, he can finish with his superb body control and soft hands or dish to get easy buckets for his teammates.  “Linsanity” can’t last forever, but New York has made its run.  The question is where do the 17-18 Knicks go from here?

Jeremy Lin

Last semester, ASCMC Senate began “Open Senate” sessions during its weekly meetings. During this 15 minute window, any CMC student can bring up campus issues for discussion. Senate hopes that these sessions will allow students the opportunity to identify problems on campus and work with Senators to develop solutions.

During an Open Senate last semester, Blake Morell ’13  raised the issue of Ducey Gym’s short hours and pointed out that many students wished that the gym was open for longer. Following the session, ASCMC Vice President Aditya Pai ’13, sent out a survey to all students to gather feedback on the issue. The responses were overwhelming, with more than 100 students agreeing that the hours were insufficient. Pai says, “Blake Morell ’13 deserves credit for his initiative and effort in approaching the Senate and building the case for such a change to happen.”

Pai and Morell approached Director of Athletics Mike Sutton and Director of Recreational Sports Adam Pruett to find a feasible solution to the issue. Both members of the CMS staff were extremely forthcoming and open to making changes. Towards the end of last semester, the hours of the Ducey Weight Room were temporarily extended as a part of a trial program, and all students were notified of the change via email. Over winter break, the CMS Staff decided to increase hours permanently and has hired the required number of student monitors to make this possible. Pai noted that, “Efforts such as these are testament to the potential of the student senate to make changes on campus. ASCMC is there to serve the student body, and that’s what ASCMC is for.”

The weight room hours are now the following:

Monday to Thursday 9:00am–11:00pm
Friday 9:00am-10:00pm
Saturday 10:00am-5:00pm
Sunday 1:00pm-10:00pm

The same hours will apply to the basketball courts and the fitness center inside Ducey Gymnasium. However, the Athletic Department will have to work around the PE classes and varsity practices.

This change represents significant progress by Senate and the CMS Athletic Department. Pruett stated, “CMS is happy to make whatever changes it can to benefit students, and I believe that ASCMC has provided a great model for changes to occur on campus.”

The Hub seems designed specifically to satisfy the ‘bro culture’ at the college. Over the past six months I’ve spent at CMC, my time at the Hub has rapidly diminished as I feel more and more out of place going there. CMC is known to embrace bro-esque behavior, and the Hub is the ultimate example of why this culture exists.

I am not saying that we need to work to make the Hub more female-friendly, but instead work towards “un-bro-ing” our convenient hangout spot. It’s not just CMC girls who tend to stay away, but also guys who aren’t loving the ever-present bro culture. As much as I wish I could quantify bro presence, I can’t. What I can and will do is look at the ratio of guys and girls at the Hub and other 5C cafes to provide evidence that the Hub appeals largely to a male-oriented bro culture. The Hub doesn’t exclude girls, but it isn’t exactly the most welcoming place to females and non-’bro’ males. Here’s why. Let’s break it down piece by piece:

A view of the Hub and it's hearty meal offering

Atmosphere

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think ‘Hub’ is an outdated man-cave. For goodness sake, there are framed portraits of CMC athletic teams hanging on the walls. I totally agree that the furniture was awesome in 1992, but it is 2011 and the tacky retro look has got to go. Those gritty couches don’t exactly make for a fun hangout spot. I am not saying I want the Hub to turn into a girly hangout place. I went to the Motley and left within a minute after looking at the jar of tampons for sale and Diva Cups by the register. That might be overcompensating. But it’s true that the Hub atmosphere could be improved with some small changes. The Coop, for example, is a perfect example of chic, clean design that everyone can enjoy. It’s tidy and not so blatantly sports-themed. That is what the Hub needs: a change in ambiance and décor to allow for everyone’s comfort.

The Ratio

In case you don’t believe that the Hub is disproportionately “bro,” I decided to do some research:

For one week I spent my afternoons at the Hub from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 pm. On weekends and weeknights, I popped in from time to time as well. I also compared the guy to girl ratios in the other 4 college’s cafes, including Pomona’s Coop, Scripps’s Motley Coffeehouse, Pitzer’s Pit-Stop Café, and Harvey Mudd’s Jay’s Place (The Muddhole).

I started on a Monday and walked in at 2:30 pm to take a headcount: 10 girls, 35 boys. I hoped Tuesday would be better. Nope. 13 girls. 32 boys. Wednesday 14 girls, 38 boys.

I know my data collection isn’t the most perfect, nor by any means thesis-worthy, but those numbers should make you stop and think. On four random days, the ratio was always more than twice the amount of boys to girls. On weeknights it was even worse. I walked in on a Wednesday night to find 9 boys watching Sports Center and two girls sitting at a back table. That same Wednesday night, I walked into the Coop and saw 18 boys and 16 girls. Much better. The Friday before my investigation ended, I went to all five cafés to compare girls to guys. The Muddhole 3:5, Pit-Stop  8:11, The Coop 18:30, The Motley (I stopped counting after the zero-eth boy), and The Hub 5: 13.

Every time I went to the Hub in the past week, there were at least twice as many guys as girls. Sure I could just walk to the Coop or the Pit-Stop, but it’s a hassle, and I am a CMCer. Why should I go to another campus’s student center to feel comfortable?

Cleanliness

Cleanliness is definitely not the Hub’s forte. Walking in and seeing tables dripped with leftover grease from fried foods, chicken tenders in the couches, and the remnants of last week’s curly fries all over the floor doesn’t inspire much confidence in the Hub’s upkeep. I don’t think the problem is the staff.  People just don’t always seem to pick up after themselves. Maybe most Hub regulars do not care, but after speaking to all my girl friends, we all agree that such an environment is gross. Of all my girl friends surveyed, none eat in the Hub at all and noted the leftover trash as reason enough to avoid spending time there.

Sportscasters are a regular feature at the Hub

Menu

Admit it: every time you walk into the Hub or anywhere near it the smell smell of fried food lingerings. It is no secret that the Hub’s menu is not the most health conscious. Sure there are wraps and paninis, but everything else on the menu is either a sandwich, burger, or fried-something. Granted, that fried-something has a place in everyone’s heart on a Thursday night, but it would be nice to have more variety on the menu like salads, fruit, bagels, or muffins. One time, I asked for a fruit salad and, in return, I got a big slice of cantaloupe. Even the way the food is presented–big portions slapped onto paper plates–could also be more appealing.

Television

The lack of variety on the two television screens in the Hub is another gripe. The TV is always–let me repeat–ALWAYS playing ESPN. Don’t get me wrong. Sometimes, I want to watch ESPN. Since the NBA season is finally back on, I’ll be perched on those grimy Hub couches and armchairs for the game. But having sports channels on from the minute the Hub opens until closing hours is excessive. The addition of another TV would allow for more viewing options, perhaps to watch non-sports shows. With more options, the Hub is far more conducive to everyone’s entertainment tastes. More important than adding viewing variety, however, is the need to get rid of the “channel-changing” stigma. Doesn’t it say something about Hub culture when changing the channel from Sports Center is considered near sinful, even when it’s playing on both TV screens?

This “Hub-Makeover” is in everyone’s interest. I think most guys like it when there are girls around, and most girls like it when they can get a bite to eat without their conversations being drowned out by sports news broadcasters. It’s important to remember that the Hub is CMC’s student center and should feel that way for every student, not just for CMC ‘bros.’ The Hub has the potential to be a hotspot where everyone could be equally happy with just these few minor adjustments. Until then, looks like I’m hanging out elsewhere.

The “Streakers” – Although they don’t have a #1 seed, no one wants to play these teams in the tournament.

• Florida State (#15 AP/#17 Coaches Poll) (16-7, 7-2 ACC)
  • The Seminoles are the classic boom-or-bust team.  They project right now as a 4-5 seed, which means they will play a #1 seed in the Sweet Sixteen if FSU gets that far.  They have shown they can beat (and rout) the best in the country, with a 33-point victory at UNC and a win on the road at Duke.  However, there is no guarantee that they will make it out of the first round as they can implode (losses to Princeton and 16-loss Boston College).  They have the potential to rip through and destroy a bracket, but they can also be catching the first plane flight back to Tallahassee.
• Long Beach State (17-6, 10-0 Big West)
  • The 49ers are a very dangerous team when they are hot.  Although they hail from a mid-major conference at best, they played an extremely hard non-conference schedule and weathered the storm, playing five ranked teams (six if you count San Diego State) and came out with two wins and three losses by less than 10 points.  The key for the 49ers is the three-point ball; they shout 36% from downtown as it is, and if their shooters catch fire (especially Larry Anderson-45% and James Ennis-38%), they have the potential to be the next Northern Iowa (just ask Kansas how many threes were made in that game) and grab their first tournament win since 1973.

The “Shake-and-Bakers”  – These are the teams that not only take one of the remaining at-large bids, but they have a change to make some noise in the tournament.

• Wichita State (21-4, 12-2 Missouri Valley)
  • If I asked you which team has the Missouri Valley conference lead, you would be wrong if you answered Creighton.  Yes, Wichita State not only has the conference lead, but they also have the same record as the Blue Jays.   Two of their four losses were in overtime (one loss was to Temple was a #7 seed last year), and their two losses were to ranked teams.  They can hang with the best of them (they beat UNLV by 19) and have the rebounding (38 RPG), blocks (4 BPG), and three point percentage (35%) to frustrate teams in high-pressure situations.  Look for them to shock a team or two in March.
• Stanford (16-7, 6-5 PAC-12)
  • The Cardinal has hit several road bumps, losing four of their last five, including at 10-point loss to rival Cal.  But this team started the year off 10-1, with quality wins over Oklahoma State, North Carolina State, and only a six point loss to Syracuse away from Palo Alto.  They have time to turn their season around and still make the Big Dance if they feed the ball more to Josh Owens (60% FGP) and Chasson Randle (37% from downtown).  They gave a lot of teams fits early on in the year with transition buckets, and if they can find their rhythm before the PAC-12 conference tournament, they could be a very scary draw.

The “Pushers” – These teams have the potential to make some noise in the tournament, but they need to make a move now in order to get in.

• Xavier (16-8, 7-3 Atlantic 10)
  • The Musketeers started off the year 7-0, including victories over Purdue at #9 Vanderbilt.  But the brawl against Cincinnati changed the dynamic of the team, and they haven’t been the same since, with losses to La Salle and Dayton by a combined 25 points while at full strength.  The rest of their schedule isn’t easy, as they play Temple, Dayton (again), Richmond, and Saint Louis.  But if they can re-find their stride by winning most of those games (if not all), then Tu Holloway (16.3 PPG and reigning A-10 Player of The Year) and company can regain their early season form and sneak into the Bracket come March.
• Brigham Young Cougars (20-6, 8-3 WCC)
  • The Cougars are in Year 1 without Jimmer Fredette, but their RPI ranking of 43 says they are managing just fine without him.  But they are 0-3 versus ranked teams and don’t project to play another ranked team for the rest of the regular season.  If they want to make it into the tournament, they probably need to win out plus make it to the WCC championship game if they don’t win the tournament.  Veterans Noah Hartsock (57% FGP) and Brandon Davies (8.0 RPG) need to lead a young squad that shoots just over 19 three-pointers a game to a level of consistency if they want to have any chance of making it that far.

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!

Coverage by Matthew Kwok

Live Broadcast

The live audio and video coverage will begin at 4:55 PM as play starts at 5:00 PM. You can catch all of the live action on this page! Today’s broadcast will be brought to you by Matthew Kwok (PZ ’15).

You can see the video on the embedded player below! or this link:
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/Pomona-Pitzer-Athletics

If you have any suggestions, comments, or questions about Sports Broadcasting at the Claremont Colleges, please email Broadcasting@ClaremontSportsConnection.com

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.

The remodeling process started a year ago when Pruett came to CMS and found an intramural sports program that was outdated and inflexible to student’s wants and needs. “The whole system was very vague and the schedules for the whole semester were set at the beginning, leaving very little flexibility for the students. The teams for each dorm were set in advance by the Intramural Sports Office, no matter if the dorm wanted to play that sport or not.” says Pruett. “If a dorm couldn’t come up with enough players for a game due to scheduling issues, that was too bad, and the game was forfeited.” Dorms not participating led to unpredictable schedules, forfeits and disappointed players.

Photo Credit: Adam Pruett

In addition to a rigid schedule, students were confined to one kind of intramural play, as the system required all teams to be co-recreational (Co-Rec) and made up of students from the same dorm.

When Pruett arrived at the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year, the program was completely unorganized. “When I came in there was no schedule, so we had to create one on the fly,” says Pruett. The system was also dated. Information about teams and schedules was communicated via email to the “Dorm Reps” in the form of a simple excel spreadsheet.

Due the problems with the old system, Pruett brought in Athleague, an online network designed by college students specifically for setting up intramural sports leagues. Athleague is extremely versatile, as it is connected to Facebook and can automatically send participants emails or text messages to update them changes to their schedule. Athleague also provides a forum in which students can suggest changes or improvements to the intramural program, making it easier for Pruett and his team to respond to students’ wishes.

“The great thing about Athleague is that it was designed by college students for college students,” says Pruett. “It allows us to communicate quickly with the student body and also makes it much easier for students to talk to their friends and teammates about making teams or scheduling issues they might have.” With Athleague, Pruett has also expanded intramural sports beyond dorm competition and has created three new leagues: an all men’s league, an all women’s league, and another Co-Rec league unrelated to dorm competition. Within these leagues of play, Pruett has created A and B divisions to give students the opportunity to compete at a desired level. Pruett has also revamped dorm competition and has created the Dorm Championship Series or DCS, to replace the old system and provide more drama and excitement.

Photo Credit: Adam Pruett

“The DCS is new this year and gives dorm teams the chance to compete for the DCS trophy which is awarded at the end of every semester.  It will be awarded using an algorithm called the PASS System which stands for the Participation, Achievement and Sportsmanship Score.” says Pruett.

“The best thing about the new setup is that instead of being confined to just one team, students now have the opportunity to play on three different intramural teams. Now you can have an all male or female team with your friends, an open Co-Rec team, and your DCS team as well.”

Pruett has also modified the rules of each sport to make it more clear to both the players and the referees on how the games should be played. “In the past the rules were pretty simple and set basic guidelines about how the game should be played. What was scary is that referees were given the choice to not call penalties if they thought it would slow down the game,” says Pruett. In past years, flag football allowed physical contact at the line of scrimmage, an issue that posed a serious liability to both the intramural sports program and the school. Now, the rules are set for each sport, and referees are trained to call fouls or penalties that cause a clear disadvantage to the offended team, not just the ones they want to call.

Pruett has big dreams for the CMS intramural program. Ultimately, he wants to bring the intramural program of Pomona-Pitzer into the fold to compete against CMS. That is why he has organized the inaugural CMS, Pomona-Pitzer 3-on-3 basketball tournament on November 5^th to test out his idea. “This is the pilot to see if we can try and expand this idea to all the other sports,” says Pruett. “We really want to build the intramural program to be a 5-C program, which would be really cool because it would allow teams to compete on a much broader stage.” Pruett also wants to send teams to regional extramural tournaments for Flag-Football in the fall and 3-on-3 basketball in the spring. The best team from the CMS program for each sport will earn a free trip to a southern-California regional tournament, and if they win that, a trip to the national championships. Pruett says, “I have been a part of these tournaments ever since I was a college student, and I think that it is a great opportunity to get off campus and have a lot of fun.”

In the end, Pruett’s main goal is to make the program about the students and expose them to opportunities that far exceed the walls of the 5 colleges. “We are open to any suggestions that student’s want to make. As long as intramural sports are safe and fun, then we will make it work. Our doors are always open.”

Fore more intramural information or to sign up, visit these links.

Links:

http://www.cmsathletics.org/intramurals/index

http://claremont.athleague.com/user.register

www.nirsa.org