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Elimination of Paid Ticketing, Implementation of ASCMC Endowment, and What it Means for 5C Students On September 22, 2019, The Forum released this article written by ASCMC President Dina Rosin titled Removing Barriers to Entry: How and Why ASCMC Eliminated Paid Ticketing. To further explore the financial and social considerations preceding such a change, as well as the implications of this change for future events, we talked to ASCMC President Dina Rosin, VPSA Chandler Koon, CFO Max Dawson and Junior Class President Johnson Lin. In past years, many 5C students have expressed frustration with ticketed events, noting the additional cost of these parties as a significant barrier to entry. This issue is problematic for several reasons, but chiefly in its limitation of access to, and thereby inclusion of, students of all socioeconomic backgrounds. Historically, ASCMC has implemented paid ticketing for Monte Carlo in the Fall and Wedding Party in the Spring. While McKenna Palooza is theoretically a ticketed event, the funds raised through ticketing are donated to a pre-specified charity. Because of the restrictions ASCMC faces in making charitable donations as 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, it must raise funds before making donations. For this reason, McKenna Palooza will likely remain a ticketed event in order to make proceeds eligible for charitable donations. From now on, Monte Carlo and Wedding Party will be non-ticketed events; to forge ahead with this policy change, ASCMC has had to make some major adjustments to their events budgeting. In her article, Dina Rosin states, “With the new increase in student fees that was passed last term, we had more room in the budget to maintain similar funding levels for events without having to offset the costs of the events with revenue from charging for tickets.” In Spring 2019, ASCMC Executive Board, Senate, Budget Committee and CMC’s Board of Trustees passed a motion to increase CMC’s annual student fee from $245 to $285, thereby increasing ASCMC’s working budget by approximately $50,000. This added flexibility within the events budget to offset forgone ticket revenue. VPSA Chandler Koon commented on the change, explaining that student fees had not been increased in many years, despite inflation and major increases in the overall ASCMC budget for student programming. Despite this influx of funds via increased revenue from student fees, ASCMC was concurrently experiencing a tightening budget. Previous ASCMC administrations had significant pools of unspent funds at the end of each year, which would rollover to the next. While this rollover money gave each new board some leeway with regard to their annual budgeting, it also led to irresponsible spending by past boards, as well as overall budget volatility, according to Koon. The financial turbulence created by this rollover made it harder to budget each year. According to CFO Max Dawson, “The downside to the rollover method was that we’d see significant volatility in our annual budget, occasionally resulting in fluctuations as large as $50,000; this made it incredibly difficult to guarantee consistent funding for ASCMC's clubs or events.” To rectify this issue, Dawson implemented an ASCMC endowment meant to eliminate this volatility and steadily increase ASCMC’s budget in the long term. With regard to the endowment, Dawson explains that “any budget surplus left at the end of the year will flow into the endowment. [This] account will be invested alongside CMC’s own endowment, and is expected to generate between 3% and 5% each year. At its current value, this will be around $8,000 per year, and will only rise as more years of surplus accumulate.” While the endowment seems like a worthwhile investment for ASCMC’s budget in the long run, the current administration must adapt to a budget without the flexibility of a significant rollover surplus. In order to accommodate for the reduced events budget and no ticket revenue, Chandler Koon “has been working on innovative ways to reduce the cost of these events to make them more accessible,” according to President Dina Rosin. For these events, ASCMC will request “financial contributions from the student governments of the other Claremont Colleges, which will allow us to similarly not charge 5C students.” In the past, ASCMC has not asked other 5C student governments for assistance in funding Monte Carlo or Wedding Party, since 5C students who wanted to attend had to purchase a ticket. This year, ASCMC will be asking for contributions from each college’s student government to secure spots for their students at these events. Simultaneously, this change will remove 5C students’ burden of paying to attend events and share financial accountability among student governments to run these events. Each school’s financial contribution will determine allotted tickets for that college’s students, proportional in number to their contribution to the event. This could have significant repercussions on the ratio of 5C attendees. With Monte Carlo quickly approaching, we are seeing this budgeting change play out for the first time. Johnson Lin, CMC Junior Class President and lead event planner of Monte Carlo, commented "I'm optimistic with how the other schools will turn out with regard to funding the event". On the value of this change, VPSA Chandler Koon noted that “Monte Carlo and Wedding Party are two events that most students enjoy, regardless of whether or not they choose to drink. Many events in Claremont cater to those who drink rather than those who don’t: that’s why ensuring greater accessibility to mutually attractive events is crucial to ASCMC’s obligation of creating an inclusive social scene.” Despite the complicated budgetary interplay of these changes, President Rosin ultimately sees the elimination of paid ticketing as an “ important step to making our events, and our community, more inclusive.”

The plan for an independent science department at CMC is “moving full-steam ahead,” with the administration expected to reach financial targets within the next few months, according to Peter Uvin, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty. Students in the Class of ’23 or ’24 could potentially be the first ones to take classes with newly hired CMC science faculty. CMC “will gradually increase the total number of science faculty available for all students at the three colleges, while still being part of Keck Science” as the college transitions to its own science department, Uvin told The Forum in an email. “Our students will have continuity of education throughout this period, getting courses and mentoring from Keck faculty and the new faculty we have hired.” “The College has engaged over the years a great group of alumni, parents, and friends who are interested in supporting a high-quality science department as part of the liberal arts education we deliver so well at CMC,” Uvin commented to the Forum when asked about sources of funding. “That includes members of the Board and many others.” Last October, President Hiram Chodosh announced CMC’s plans “to create an independent science department and construct a new science facility” aimed at a more refined focus on computer and data science and at doubling current scientific resources available to the three colleges (CMC, Scripps and Pitzer). The CMC community, as well as other concerned parties, raised many concerns about the feasibility and potential implications of the project, many of which were addressed in Dean Uvin’s recent email. CMC and Keck reached a unanimous decision April 16 for the establishment of CMC’s new science department, a proposed approach to tenure and timeline for withdrawal from Keck Science department, Uvin said in his email to the CMC community on May, 2. The Board’s focus in the near future will be on developing practical fundraising approaches, architectural construction plans, refinement of financial models and search for potential candidates as the founding chair, according to Uvin’s message. On April 26, the Board confirmed its endorsement for the new science department, setting financial benchmarks for each stage of the proposed plan. The 5C community will carefully observe future development of the plan that has the potential to revolutionize scientific education at the Claremont Colleges.

The term for ASCMC members runs from Spring Break to Spring Break, which means that it is time to elect the new Executive Board! Students have started campaigning across the school for the seven open positions. Voting will be held online on Thursday March 7. Tune in to the livestream of Snack Speeches Wednesday night on The Forum Facebook page! You can get a glimpse of the candidates’ platforms in their statements below. PRESIDENT Maxwell Knowles Presidential Candidate Through both incredible highs and devastating lows, CMC has become family. I love this school and its students, but there's great work to be done to make sure we are both listening and acting on the voices of this community. I'm running for ASCMC President in hopes of transforming the club experience, pushing new mentorship initiatives forward, expanding opportunities to hear your voice, and promoting a student culture that battles apathy. Feel free to follow along on Facebook at @knowles4ascmc to see more of my platform and campaign! Dina Rosin Presidential Candidate There is a common sentiment shared by everyone I know here at CMC -- we love our school, and because we love it, we all have things we think CMC could be doing better. Whether it is course offerings or admissions practices, new resources for mental, sexual, or physical health, new ways we can make our parties and events more inclusive and fun, or so much more, there are endless possibilities for how we can tangibly improve the lives of CMC students. There is another belief unfortunately shared by much of the student body: ASCMC does not have the power to make these kinds of changes. I am running for ASCMC President because I want our student government to act as the voice of the student body when advocating for, and enacting, meaningful social change on campus. We need a student government that will fight for the priorities of the student body in pursuit of a more equitable, just, and inclusive college. We need a candidate, and an administration, that is willing to try new and innovative avenues to reach these ends. Bryan Carlen and I have an ambitious plan centered on advocacy and accountability to make ASCMC a body that better amplifies the voices of students. We want to prioritize community engagement, mental health, and consent culture as key focuses of our administration. We want to transform Senate into a body in which every student has a say and a voice. We will create and grow new relationships with affinity groups, athletic teams, and student organizations so that your ideas become the bedrock of our administration. CMC, I don’t simply want to be your President, but your fiercest advocate for the issues that matter most to our community. Max Dawson Presidential Candidate What’s the point of ASCMC? To throw parties? Parties are fun, but there’s more to college than that. To supervise clubs? Sure, but frankly clubs are pretty good at supervising themselves. Maybe to buy pizza for things? Okay, yeah. Pizza’s great. But there should be more to student government than that. Right? My name is Max Dawson, and I believe ASCMC’s purpose is simple – to represent YOU. Not just those of you who have the time to serve on ASCMC, or the ones who are involved in a million things on campus and are still somehow completely put together. Trust me, I get it; just about any candidate will say that. But I ask you this – do they ever tell you how they’re going to get you involved? And more importantly, do they ever give you the information you’d need to even form an opinion? Unfortunately, the answer for most of you is probably no. But how is our student government supposed to… well… govern, if a room of fifteen people are the only ones who know what’s going on behind the scenes? As CFO, I’ve devoted my time to breaking down that wall. In the last eight months, I’ve drafted policies for reimbursement, club budgeting documents, long-term financial plans, and weekly financial reports: and been as open as possible about it with all of you. As President, I will continue that trend. Think weekly office hours. Think public forums that you actually feel invited to attend. And think of chances to give feedback on everything we do, from the club fair to elections to TNCs to the reimbursement system; all made possible by a president who knows better than anyone that representation is nothing without transparency. Thank you so much for your support! Love, Max Dawson (760) 207-2822 EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Bryan Carlen Executive Vice Presidential Candidate If elected, this would be my third term serving on the Executive Board of ASCMC. Yet, through conversations with my peers and reflection on my experience, I’ve realized that athough ASCMC does some things well, there’s a whole lot more it doesn’t do well. Two things it doesn’t do well are: one, advocate for all students’ needs, and two, hold itself and the administration accountable. These two focuses are how I as EVP, alongside Dina Rosin as President, would work to improve ASCMC. Advocacy If elected, I will work to make a Senate a body in which students can arrive with problems, and leave knowing that issues are being addressed. This means creating avenues of communication with affinity groups, student organizations, and athletic groups to actually understand what students need, in order to ensure that those needs are met. I will use Senate’s Constitutional ability to pass Resolutions to voice student’s concerns publicly and vocally to the CMC community. Accountability Accountability is the second tenet of my platform. To hold ASCMC accountable, I will ensure that all Senate Committee Chairs are both Teal Dot and Queer Allyship Trained. To hold Administration accountable, I will use Senate to create student face time with important individuals on campus, including President Chodosh, the Director of Admissions, the Dean of the Faculty, and the Chairman of the Board of Trustees. The actualization of these goals requires a shared vision between both Senate and the Executive Board. Only with Dina leading Executive Board and me leading Senate can we make these goals a reality. If you want a student government that advocates for you and believes in real accountability, then vote for Dina & Bryan for President and EVP when polls open. VICE PRESIDENT OF STUDENT AFFAIRS Chandler Koon Executive Vice President of Student Affairs Candidate Hello! My name is Chandler Koon, and if elected VPSA, I want to focus on improving ASCMC’s accessibility, inclusivity, and financial responsibility. While open to any and all suggestions, I have some ideas on how to get started: First, I propose maintaining a Sunday Snack every Sunday, planned in conjunction with CPB’s on the first Sunday of every month. I did this while serving as VPSA in 2017. Not everyone at CMC drinks, or goes out, and ASCMC is meant to serve the whole student body, not just those who party. Second, I propose lowering ticket costs for Monte Carlo and Wedding Party to $5 for CMC students. More accessible events with higher capacity and greater ticket sales will have a similar revenue: this is basic economics. Even if ASCMC eats a slightly larger proportion of the costs, I believe that ASCMC shouldn’t be charging students for the events they put on. While the budget as it exists requires some degree of ticketing, I want to mitigate barriers to entry such as ticket caps and excessive prices. Third, I hope to facilitate true collaborations and partnerships with student groups on campus. ASCMC has the resources and responsibility to assist groups like Mi Gente and 5C Records in creating and promoting successful events, and the ability to give student artists a platform. I particularly want to work with groups who feel their voices and ideas have not been heard by ASCMC historically, in the hope that ASCMC can become an organization that actually represents and works on behalf of the student body. I would work with the elected DAC to partner with dorms for events such as TNCs and Sunday snacks, and if elected, would love to support any student groups, clubs or otherwise, that want to make big things happen. SENIOR CLASS PRESIDENT Joseph Noss Senior Class Presidential Candidate Unlike any other ASCMC position up for election this Spring, the President of the Class of 2020 comes with responsibilities in perpetuity. Sure, the Senior Class President is charged with carrying on senior traditions like 100 Days and 200 Days, and I can guarantee you those events will not disappoint. However, I care far more about leaving CMC knowing that every senior feels connected to one another and this institution for life--so that they leave this place knowing it will always be a home for them. Yes, in the coming term, I will ensure that there will be real puppies at de-stressing events--no more of the small-dog bs--but I will also keep an eye toward senior-specific challenges that will come to define how our class is remembered. This past year, the Class of 2019 has made it clear that they did not feel involved in the process of selecting the Commencement speaker that will mark their last milestone at CMC, and I want to represent the voice of the Class of 2020 in this process from the very beginning. Our class speaker will be an individual who can speak to our experience at Claremont--someone funny, someone reflective, someone to tell you everything will be fine even when your work week no longer ends on Thursday at 2:45. As program coordinator of Camp Wahanowin, I spent an entire summer with the primary task of planning enjoyable events for a group of over 500 people. Not only were there incredible parties, but also quieter events that fostered a sense of community and camaraderie. As for policy, I plan to align myself with the priorities of Dina and Bryan, who I’m confident will make every effort to sustain a culture of student advocacy and ASCMC accountability. As I support them in making this vision a reality, I will dedicate all of my energy to keeping our class together for the rest of our lives and making sure that when your phone rings in five, ten, thirty years from now, you’ll be happy it’s my voice on the other end, asking to hear what you’ve been up to. Laleh Ahmad Senior Class Presidential Candidate Hi! I’m Laleh Ahmad, and I’m running for Senior Class President. I’m super excited for a chance to represent our class and plan awesome events! I have two main priorities: Community building through event planning: I’m committed to using our budget responsibly to foster a robust community in our grade. We have a lot of different types of people, but we don’t have a lot of different types of events. I want our events to reflect our class. I want to plan fun parties like 100 and 200 Days, ensure Mount Baldy TNC and Ski-Beach Day actually happen, and use my position to create more creative and new events that enable us to create incredible memories together. I’ve heard ideas from the Class of 2020 like a Senior Formal, regular CCA nights, apartment parties with food trucks, and more. I want to plan workshops so we can learn how to pay rent, find apartments, negotiate salaries and more. We can make these events happen. Moreover, I want to ensure that the Senior Apartments are a welcoming and fun space for all seniors, whether they live there or not. Advocacy: I want to support ASCMC leadership in fighting for more mental health resources that work and tangible ways to create a consent culture on our campus. I also want to fight for our class to have a Commencement Speaker that we are inspired by and can all support. I would love the opportunity to make your senior year more fun! Thank you for reading, and I hope I can count on your support. I, along with Joe Noss, support Dina Rosin for ASCMC President and Bryan Carlen for Executive Vice President. We believe they will bring necessary change to ASCMC. JUNIOR CLASS PRESIDENT Johnson Lin Junior Class Presidential Candidate Hey Friends! As of writing this, I believe I’m running unopposed so I’ll save you some time by keeping it short. It’s been an honor serving our class for two years now and I’m more than ready to make it three. My administration has come a long way, from planning large scale events like the Toga Party pregame and Puppies+Poptarts, to advocating for important causes on campus like aiding survivors of sexual assault. I plan to continue these great initiatives and to keep working my hardest to make your CMC experience beyond memorable. Thanks for your support <3 Yours Truly, Johnson Lin P.s. don’t worry, there will be yet another amazing line of apparel coming soon ;) SOPHOMORE CLASS PRESIDENT Cindy Lay Sophomore Class Presidential Candidate What’s up Class of 2022!! It’s been an honor these past 6 months to serve as your class president. Thanks also to the teamwork of our First Year Class Cabinet, we’ve been able to have lots of events like Cookies with the Deans, Class Registration Snack, Class Pregames, TNCs, Junior X Freshman meet and greets, 5C First Year Field Day, and more! This term I want to focus on planning events that bring unity to our class. It’s extremely important to me to foster a strong sense of community within our class. We all come from amazing different and impressive backgrounds; I’m truly blown away by all high-quality people. I want to continue making sure people have the opportunity to build lifelong friendships with all of our classmates. Here are some things I’d love to do if I was your sophomore class president: Class Apparel: Creating a design that not only allows increased funds for our class but also represents the amazing class of 2022. An AWESOME Pirate Party Brunch- Pancakes anyone?? Wellness and self-care events that allow our class to connect on a deeper level. More dry events like First Year Field Day! An unBirthday Party: So that we can properly celebrate and pond everyone with a birthday during break/summer. Class Specific Snacks on occasional Sundays and Fridays. (Because showing up at Collins at 10:30 pm then realizing it’s Sunday is the worst) As always if we haven’t met I’d love to! You can find me in Appleby 104 or at Sunday Tea Time from 3:30 - 5:00 at the Appleby tables. I always love hearing your thoughts and ideas. Hope to be sending you guys more class emails! Remember, have a great day and vote Cindy Lay All my love, Cindy Marilyn Liriano Sophomore Class Presidential Candidate My name is Marilyn Liriano and I am from the Bronx, New York. I love chicken tenders and avocado from the hub and spending my weekends at Doms. Coming to California has been more than a blessing and I’m so happy to be a part of the class of 2022. My favorite part of being in the Claremont colleges is meeting new people from all over. My first goal as president is to have more events where we can have more get togethers during the day with good music and good food (I’ll always ask for your input! If you want boba, I’ll get you boba! If you hate boba and want Raising Canes, I’ll get you Raising Canes!). I want everyone on this campus to be able to find friends as amazing as the ones I found here. I come from a high school where the community was very disconnected and it was hard to make a lasting relationship but I want to make sure that isn’t a problem here! I also want to make the campus more sustainable. I plan on holding events to give out reusable/ eco friendly goods such as metal straws, totes, and bamboo toothbrushes. I’m running for class of 2022 because I want to create a more inclusive campus and I want you all to have a President you can feel comfortable chatting with when you’ve had a bad day or great one. I want to be an open and honest candidate. I promise not to make any empty promises. If you ever want to chat, my room is Beckett 128. You can also message me on social media @mxrilynx on Instagram or Marilyn Amara on Facebook. Thank you for taking the time to consider me as a candidate and I hope you find me to be a presidential candidate worthy of your valuable votes.

CMC President and Vice Presidents spoke to parents in a live stream Thursday afternoon regarding support for students after the passing of Jeremy Peterson and Eric Cramer. Questions were answered by President Hiram Chodosh, Vice President of Student Affairs Sharon Basso, Assistant Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Nyree Gray, and Assistant Vice President and Dean of Students Dianna Graves. Dean Basso outlined four themes to discuss: 1) Health and Wellness 2) Substance Use and Abuse 3) Community 4) Communication Vice President Gray said that health and wellness of all the students is a priority, and there are many internal resources in addition to Monsour counselors. She also noted that there is financial support for students. “We remove any barrier to mental health,” Vice President Gray said. The other participants mentioned how all the staff, peers, and parents work together to ensure the mental wellness of the students here. One question noted that both Peterson and Cramer entered with the class of 2018 but did not graduate last year, and asked what support students had who veered off the four-year plan. Vice President Gray said that students who do not complete the program in four years are already linked to the Deans, who work with them to make sure there is a good plan. “They’re still very much part of the community,” she said. President Chodosh added that when students come back, it is vitally important that they share as much information with the school as possible. While some might be hesitant to do so, President Chodosh assured parents that “we handle that with tremendous sensitivity.” When asked about the academic rigors of CMC, the administrators said that in addition to committing to academic resources, the school supports student-led initiatives around peer support. President Chodosh said that there are also career pressures that the community is trying to battle by focusing on individual qualities rather than test scores. Dean Basso was unequivocal about the weapons policy. “Weapons are not permitted, not tolerated, and any rumors are followed up on immediately.” She also said that students are aware of this policy. Vice President Graves said that “There is not a college, a high school, or middle school even, that is not concerned about substance abuse.” She said that CMC addresses it through enforcement of a strict drug policy, education about addiction and recovery, and alternative options. She said that students are hungry for these conversations. “In the upcoming weeks there will be a big push to have a conversation about health and wellness, and we will make sure it’s reaching every student.” According to the displayed count during the live stream, hundreds of parents tuned in to watch the session.

Students received the following emails Tuesday and Wednesday regarding the death of Eric Cramer. Cramer entered CMC with the class of 2018. He died exactly one week after Jeremy Peterson, another student in the same class. RE: Our Saddest Loss Dear Students, Faculty and Staff: Our student Eric Cramer died earlier today in his room in Beckett Hall. Words cannot express my deepest sadness. We must endure this all together. We are still awaiting the coroner’s determination of the cause of death. We are in contact with Eric’s family and are providing full support. This is so difficult for all of us, especially in the wake of our loss last week. I am so proud of our community and the care we provide to one another. Know that you are not alone. We are all here. Please reach out to listen and support one another, including staff in the Dean of Students Office, RAs, First Year Guides, and the many faculty, administrators, and coaches with whom you are close. If you would like to speak with someone this evening, please do reach out. Counselors are on site in Heggblade and the Athenaeum this evening. The Athenaeum is open until 10 p.m. as a supportive place where all members of our community—students, faculty, and staff—are welcome to gather. Students may also call 909 621-8202 to speak to an on-call therapist after hours. Staff and faculty may call the Employee Assistance Program at 800 234-5465 for 24-hour support. Counselors will be available in Heggblade tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Chaplains will also have hours tomorrow in Heggblade Center. The deans and I are all here on campus tonight and will be at the Athenaeum by 7:30 p.m. to be with you. As we grieve the loss of Eric, we are here for each other. Very best, Hiram RE: candlelight remembrance, 8 p.m., Butler Plaza, Bauer Center Dear All: The CMC community has now suffered two serious losses in a short time, the second of which appears to be self-harm. The hurt among our students is immense, as it is with our faculty and staff at CMC and all of the Claremont colleges. Tonight, we invite you all to gather in community at a candlelight remembrance at 8:00 p.m. at Butler Plaza near the Bauer Center to honor the lives of Jeremy Peterson and Eric Cramer, and to draw on the collective strength of friends and colleagues. In the coming days and weeks we will gather again—to create space to talk through the challenges we face, and to seek powerful ways to support the safety, health, and wellness of our students. Once released, official information from the authorities will help inform those critical conversations. We remain in close touch with the Peterson and Cramer families and thank you for the outpouring of concern and respect for them. Very best, Hiram, Sharon, and DT The administration also forwarded the email to parents of current students, prefacing it with a message that said the priorities are “to remember and honor Jeremy Peterson and Eric Cramer, support their families, take care of our students, staff, and faculty, and support all of you and your families.” The administration has also organized a livestream tomorrow at 2pm (PST) to answer questions and concerns parents may have. Parents can find the link to the livestream in their inboxes. Several emails from Deans and student leaders have mentioned the need for the community to come together, and noted the strength the students have already shown. “We are each here, on campus, every minute and have been for the past week,“ said the email to parents from President Chodosh and Deans Basso and Graves. “From personal conversations to 250 students at the Ath last night or outside of Collins at Snack, your daughters and sons have been so supportive, so thoughtful, so strong.” ASCMC President Maya Love reminded students to reach out to the following resources. Counselors are in Heggblade today (2/27) from 10 am to 9 pm Chaplains (McAlister): 909-621-8685 Monsour Counseling and Psychological Services (MCAPS): 909-621-8202 For after-hours crisis, press 1 to be connected immediately to an on-call therapist. https://services.claremont.edu/mcaps/ The CARE Center has a therapist with office hours on Fridays @ 4-6pm Students may also call 909 621-8202 to speak to an on-call therapist after hours. DOS is here for your support and concerns. The 5C Mental Health Alliance (MHA) is a student-led organization dedicated to promoting dialogue about mental illness and wellness at the Claremont Colleges. Through weekly meetings, events, panels, and discussions, we attempt to de-stigmatize mental health and encourage healthy lifestyles at school.

As of July 1, 2019, Professor Emily Wiley will take on the role of Associate Dean of the Faculty for the curriculum previously held by Professor Lee Skinner. As a Professor of Biology at the Keck Science Department since joining in 2002, Wiley has taught a wide range of introductory through advanced courses in areas related to molecular biology, including interdisciplinary team-taught courses in Biology-Chemistry, previously Biology-Chemistry-Physics, and non-major courses in biotechnology and genetic engineering. As part of her involvement in Keck, Wiley leads a multi-institution consortium where hundreds of students collaborate each year in research with faculty to understand functions of genes and advance larger research priorities for various communities. “I enjoy mentoring many students in my molecular research program focused on understanding how gene expression is controlled, and my students regularly co-author publications and present their research at conferences,” said Wiley. “I enjoy bringing that work into my classrooms for Keck students to engage.” Over her 17 years at Keck, Wiley has also administratively served on most of the department’s internal committees, such as promotion/tenure, executive committee, faculty search committees, and as convener of biology. In these various roles, Wiley has promoted high impact student learning experiences such as early exposure to research, and teacher-scholar faculty models that facilitate integration of teaching and research. Wiley has brought aspects of research programs into courses so that more students can experience the excitement of making new discoveries and create authentic contribution to a larger research effort. In her new role as Associate Dean of the Faculty at CMC, Wiley will primarily be involved in curricular matters and oversight. This will entail a rich array of activities: regular meetings with faculty on the Curriculum Committee; overseeing academic advising; and working on new faculty and student orientations, student and faculty fellowships, Diversity Committee, and 7C committees that impact faculty teaching support and professional development. Find out more about Wiley and her new role as Associate Dean of the Faculty below. AC: What motivated you to take on this position? EW: One of the things I love most about my job as a faculty member is the creativity involved in presenting students with new opportunities to stretch and grow in different ways, to discover what they are interested in and capable of achieving. I see numerous exciting possibilities for this kind of work, now at a different level, in a position focused on many different aspects of college curriculum, and I hope to contribute to the college in these ways. I also care deeply about the quality and success of natural science programs at our institutions. I thought my experience could help CMC implement a new science over the next few years, one that would also be synergistic with the Keck program. I see strong potential for bridging the programs in creative ways that would benefit both students and faculty with new opportunities, and I am energized by the challenge of trying to making that happen. I am also curious about about the organization and "inner workings" of an academic institution, something I will enjoy learning. I imagine it’s a lot like a cell - we’ll see! At this stage in my career I welcome the set of new challenges and chance to grow new skill sets from this role, to gain different perspectives and insights into academia. A: You have been a very integral part of the Keck Science Department as the biology convener for four years, a professor of biology, and a member of several department committees. How do you think your experience with Keck over the years will help you serve in your new role? EW: This is a tough question, as I do not yet know exactly what this new role will demand, aside from some knowledge and experience as a scientist. Certainly through my committee work at Keck I have learned how important it is to hear the views of all stakeholders and I keep learning more about how to encourage different voices. I anticipate that this will be relevant to helping the college in a variety of curricular matters to capture and integrate variety of viewpoints. A: What contributions do you hope to make as Associate Dean of the Faculty? What are you looking forward to accomplishing in this role? EW: I’m strongly motivated by finding synergisms between seemingly unrelated individuals or groups. It’s a way of innovating that is immensely satisfying to me: bringing people together in new ways to collaborate and create things that benefit everyone involved. I hope that I can bring my experience to create new opportunities for CMC students and faculty to collaborate within and across disciplines to innovate in different ways or address issues related to global challenges. I hope to help build a broadly inclusive, forward-looking science program that integrates with the community, culture, and aspirations of CMC, and that bridges with the Pitzer/Scripps program to expand opportunities for all students through program collaboration. Besides helping to keep things running at the level they do at the college, in general I hope that I can help bring the different expertise and talents of the faculty together in new ways that they, and students, will find rewarding. A: Is there anything else you would like to communicate to the general public? EW: I consider it an honor to be asked to serve the college as an Associate Dean, especially following the footsteps of Lee Skinner who has accomplished so much for the college over her last six years in this position. Her work on issues such diversity and inclusion, writing, academic advising, and professional development have advanced the academic life here in critical ways. I will be happy if I can come even close to having the same kind of impact.

The following email was sent to the CMC community around noon Tuesday, February 19. RE: VERY SAD NEWS “Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff: We are very sad to inform you of the death of our student, Jeremy Peterson. Jeremy was found dead in his room early this morning. We are in contact with Jeremy’s family and have conveyed our deepest condolences on behalf of the CMC community. We will continue to support the Peterson family in every way. We also want to assure members of our campus community that we are here to support you. Please reach out to the many people here at CMC available to listen and support you including staff in the Dean of Students Office, RAs, First Year Guides, and the many more faculty, administrators, and coaches you know so well. If you would like to speak with someone today, counselors are in the CARE Center until 8 p.m. Chaplains will be in Heggblade until 5 p.m. The Chaplains Office in McAlister will be open this evening until 9 p.m. Tomorrow, counselors will also be in the CARE Center from 11 a.m.. to 8 p.m. Students may also call 909 621-8202 to speak to an on-call therapist after hours. Staff may call the Employee Assistance Program at 800 234-5465 for 24-hour support. We mourn our dear student and friend Jeremy. We must all be here for each other. Take care and all best, Hiram, Sharon, and DT” Director of CARE Center Vince Greer also sent an email at 3pm inviting students to gather for remembrance this evening. “From 6-8:00pm in Phillips Lounge there will be pizza and a chance to gather, be in community and solidarity with fellow CMCers,” he wrote. According to the The Student Life, Peterson entered with the class of 2018 and was taking classes at CMC. The Forum offers our deepest condolences.

ASCMC officially kicked off the first ever “Affinity for Love” Week on Sunday. Affinity clubs on campus collaborated to create a week celebrating love and inclusivity, including Black Students Association, QuestBridge, Asian Pacific American Mentoring Program, ¡Mi Gente! and 1 Gen. Salomé Lefort ‘21, ASCMC Diversity Inclusion Chair, spearheaded the effort with unused funds from a Kravis Lab retreat last semester for affinity groups. Lefort said she had been wanting to create an event that involved all the Affinity Groups, and this was the perfect opportunity. “My tenure has been difficult with all the transitions ASCMC has been going through, I just had a hard time finding programming, and I wanted to find one goal I could follow, which was bringing all the affinity groups together,” Lefort said. “Having them work together and collaborate would create a better community on our campus and a better community within themselves instead of doing their own things on the side.” The team was careful when planning to avoid midterms and the mounting pressure that builds towards the end of a semester. The tie-in to Valentine’s Day was natural, making the week all about loving everyone. “It’s a really cute, inclusive idea,” Lefort said. “It’s all about love and loving our community.” Each day an affinity group hosts an event. The week culminates with the the Love Day Soiree on Thursday night and a Carnival on Friday, which all the Affinity Groups worked on together. “All of the affinity groups have done really amazing work, really put in the time and effort for this event,” Lefort said. Lefort encouraged students to attend these events to show support for the Affinity groups. “It can often be scary to be an ally within an affinity group because you don’t want to intrude on that space but I think this week’s event is a really good opportunity to hear affinity groups out, see what they actually do, and be a part of their community,” Lefort said. “This week will push our community to be more supportive, and that’s all I can really hope for.” Check back with The Forum at the end of the week for pictures of Affinity for Love!

On November 11, ASCMC hosted its first “Sunday Snack,” a community town hall intended to provide students, community members, and club leaders with an opportunity to freely voice their opinions on issues affecting the CMC community. This town hall centered on the topic of female leadership on CMC’s campus. All were invited and encouraged to attend in an attempt to create a more involved community where everyone’s voice can be heard. “We bring the snacks, you bring the discussion,” ASCMC said of the event. “It’s important to provide a platform for students to organically express their issues on campus,” said ASCMC President Maya Love ‘20. “These town halls are a way for us to come together and reach solutions on a consensus basis. Instead of ASCMC making decisions on behalf of students without their input, we are encouraging all members of the CMC community to show up and actively participate in the decision-making process,” she said. During the event, students migrated around the room to different posters and wrote their responses to various questions pertaining to leadership on campus. These responses and suggestions are meant to provide ASCMC with tangible action items on ways to improve CMC’s campus. Sunday Snack will resume next semester, and will occur once or twice per month.

With the second annual Sex Week quickly approaching, the CMC Advocates for Survivors of Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence are scrambling to raise $20,000 to fund their event, scheduled to take place from October 29 to November 1. Advocates intend to bring in a wide range of speakers to discuss topics such as healing, pleasure, and sex after trauma; sexual health from a medical doctor; and how to engage in safe sex as a person of queer identity. The week will culminate in an informational carnival held on Thursday. As of today, Advocates have raised a little under $12,000. Last year, Advocates held the first ever Sex Week on Green Beach, bringing in over 800 people, 500 of whom were CMC students. One of the biggest draws of Sex Week that Advocates hope to bring back is the free, anonymous STI testing package provided for CMC students. Advocates said that while students may have access to STI testing through their parents’ insurance or SHIP, the consortium-wide health insurance, issues with confidentiality and a time-sensitive reimbursement process may keep certain students away, especially those of marginalized identity. Free HIV testing is also available at HEO, but it does not include the whole panel included in full STI testing. Last year, due to a last-minute contract termination with a third-party vendor, DOS ended up agreeing to cover STI testing which came out to over $10,000 and tested almost 200 students. This year, DOS has agreed to contribute $1,000 towards the Sex Week carnival. To fund the costs of the event along with the steep price of STI testing, Advocates reached out to multiple sources of funding over the last month. While Advocates is allocated the fourth highest budget from ASCMC this school year, approximately $4,400 of their budget goes toward two annual trainings, leaving little money for an event like Sex Week, according to Lindsay Burton ‘19, a member of Advocates. “We’re constantly training so a lot of the funds go towards updating our training,” Burton said. “On top of that, [it goes] to on-duty supplies and t-shirts, which may be frivolous to other organizations, but our t-shirts are actually a lifeline to people at parties. They come and ask us for help and they get the help they need. The teal is our symbol [for] people [to] know that we are a resource for them.” Advocates requested $5,000 from the Executive Board and $4,000 from Senate, but expected approximately $5,000 from ASCMC, the amount that was granted last year. Citing a decrease in general budget, ASCMC contributed a total of $3,500 to the event this year. Tensions rose during Advocates’ presentations at Exec Board and Senate meetings, and Burton asked ASCMC, “How much do you spend on Pirate Party?” Love responded to Burton’s comment in an email to The Forum. “We don't believe that it is appropriate to compare Sex Week to any event including Pirate Party,” Love said. “All of our events are budgeted over a year in advance during our annual budgeting whereas Sex Week is more similar to ad hoc events put on by groups that tap the Senate General and Executive General Funds such as Sanskriti and other cultural/affinity-related events.” Love said she understands both the importance of the event and the necessity to reserve funding for other student organizations. “We believe that the work that CMC Advocates does is incredibly important; that is why we have funded $3,500 towards this event and hopefully more with reaching out to other resources on their behalf,” Love said. “We are committed to supporting and funding our students; however, we want to ensure that we can also support other student clubs throughout the year which also come to us with important requests,” she said. Advocates President, Zippy Wilson ‘19, declined to comment as she serves as an advisor for Love. Additionally, all of the newly elected dorm presidents were asked to contribute 15 percent of their budget to Sex Week; only three of the dorm presidents agreed, adding about $600 in total. In the meantime, planning for Sex Week will continue and booking vendors and speakers will still need to move forward as Oct. 29 quickly approaches. Class presidents have also agreed to allocate 15 percent of their budget, which adds an additional $1,100. Advocate Andria Tattersfield ‘21 said that ASCMC is not prioritizing budget distributions appropriately, seeing as a large chunk of funding went towards the party scene on campus. “Given that assumption that we have to maintain [the party scene] then, [the budget is] really tight,” says Tattersfield. “But if we consider re-proportioning how much we dedicate to the party scene for alternative events, then it wouldn’t be that tight.” ASCMC general budgets are smaller this year than last - Senate’s only has $12,500 this year compared to the $15,000 they had last year, and the ASCMC Executive Board also has $12,500 compared to last year’s $40,000. ASCMC pre-approved funds of $10,000 for 6:01, $21,000 for Monte Carlo, and almost $30,000 for Wedding Party for this year. The ASCMC budget is $342,000, which comes from a student fee of $122.50 that is paid every semester. Tattersfield points to systemic issues with the structure of ASCMC as to why Sex Week has had a difficult time finding funding. “ASCMC, as it was created, what they budget for at the beginning of the year, and what they’re made to do, is to hold these big parties and continue CMC’s traditions to benefit the groups at CMC that CMC has traditionally been catered toward,” said Tattersfield. “And so, they don’t have a lot of funds for events that aren’t big parties and they don’t have institutional incentives or structures where these kinds of alternative events that aren’t just the big parties can get the support. That’s why there’s so many individual people working so hard [to find this funding].” Exec Board passed a motion to contribute $2,000 total to Sex Week: $1,500 from the General Fund and $500 from the discretionary fund of Maya Love ‘20 and Max Knowles ‘20. The General Fund is the only one that can be granted during the year to pay for 5C event proposals, compared to the fixed Campus Organization funds and Student Activities funds. Senate settled on matching Exec Board’s contribution of $1,500, resulting in a total contribution of $3,500 from ASCMC. Senate mentioned hesitations to give more of their discretionary budget after criticizing Advocates for not acting on budget cut suggestions proposed previously. Senate settled on $1,500 after agreeing that Sex Week was funded enough to put on the event, aside from the STI testing. Senate added that Sex Week contributions would be taking up a bigger percentage of their current budget even though the members are providing less funding for Sex Week than they did last year. At that point, the CMC Advocates were still $2,000 short to put on Sex Week and $10,000 short to provide the free, full-panel STI testing for students. Representative Advocates left the final ASCMC allocated to discuss funding Sex Week on October 8 feeling disheartened at the outcome and clarified that funding in no way benefits the club for profit. “It’s a huge burden to take on, but it’s not for us; it’s for the student body,” said Advocate Lindsay Burton. “I think that we serve all students. So, for this to be such an issue—to provide consent-based, survivor-supportive, sex-positive sex education to the student body—and also queer-inclusive—it’s incredible we’re not willing to invest in something like this.” Advocates reminded students to keep in mind what their decisions meant and what message it sent in the midst of the #MeToo movement and the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Currently, after pulling in some more small contributions for multiple sources the CMC Advocates are still $9,590 short to provide the free, full-panel STI testing for students. Sex Week will take place October 29 to November 1, with the carnival occurring on the afternoon of November 1 on Green Beach. Workshops will be happening throughout the week.

Claremont McKenna College announced plans to withdraw from Keck Science Department to create an independent program with an emphasis in interdisciplinary science in two statements to students and faculty Thursday. This decision comes after two failed attempts to expand the facilities at Keck, and many of the professors said they were surprised by the announcement. Keck will continue to be a shared department between Pitzer and Scripps Colleges. All three colleges have been meeting to alleviate pressures caused by increased enrollment, especially in the summer of 2017. Dean of Faculty Peter Uvin said that withdrawal from Keck was not the goal of deliberations this summer. “It turned out to be the way to take the next step forward to make expansion of opportunities for students and faculty possible,” Uvin said. The Keck faculty received an email Saturday informing them that there would be an update, followed by a full faculty meeting at CMC about “the future of interdisciplinary science at CMC,” according to Chemistry Professor Nancy Williams. She said there were a lot of theories about what was to be announced. “We knew it wasn’t going to be the status quo,” she said. “We knew the announcement would not just be, ‘We’re still waiting on a building, still talking to donors, still don’t have answers, but the plan is what it’s always been.’” Dean Uvin said that the news became public as soon as possible, and that faculty input will be sought now that the structural decision has been made. “The planning starts now,” Uvin said. “The faculty will be involved in all steps as we go forward.” Keck Science Department has been in need of a new building for several years, according to professors at Keck. Biology Professor Emily Wiley said if there were more space for labs, the department could hire more tenure-track professors. “It’s a physical, space, resource limitation,” she said. “We’ve had clear signals from the administrators at all the Colleges that we could hire if we had the space to put people, and that would just alleviate most of the pressures that we’re feeling and the weaknesses in our program.” Although the department has dealt with and an overdue expansion for many years, Professor of Physics Scot Gould pointed to how successful Keck Science Department has been in that time, especially with unique programs such as the Accelerated Integrated Science Sequence (AISS) and Introduction to Biological Chemistry (IBC). “Most colleges graduate fewer science majors than the number of students who intend to major in the sciences,” he said. “However, the Keck Science department has historically graduated more. We really are working to help each student achieve their goal in science (or engineering).” “Was a building achieving these goals and successes?” he asked. “No. It is the remarkable people in this department. People are more important than buildings.” Professor Williams said the Colleges’ unequal resources probably led to CMC’s decision. “From CMC’s perspective, the building they wanted build and the number of faculty they want to hire was too big of a check for Scripps and Pitzer to be able to write,” she said. CMC proposed splitting the science department in 2008 so that faculty would be permanently assigned to certain schools, Gould said. “The idea was pitched with the promise that ‘this will ensure a new building will be built,’” he said. “In that era, CMC really looked into actually doing what CMC is proposing now - building its own science program from scratch.” Instead, there was a change in the governance, including the hiring of a new Dean, David Hansen, who aimed to heal the loss of trust. “It took us years to come back from that difficult division that didn’t even happen, but I think he did a really good job that was continued by Deans Preest and Sofia and I think we’ve had a really good relationship with CMC over the last ten years,” Williams said. “I think CMC really wanted to do this in a way that served our students in the best way possible...I think everyone wanted to keep the department intact and to not divide us.” But some professors feel that there was a lack of transparency in this most recent announcement. Professor Wiley said she would have appreciated being updated about the future of Keck. “It would have changed planning by faculty and staff had we known it would resolve this way,” she said. “There may be some financial challenges to fully funding the department through only Scripps and Pitzer, but many of us are optimistic”. Some Keck professors said they felt disappointed that CMC was withdrawing from Keck. Professor of Biology Anastasia Nagel framed it in terms of physics principles. “It takes a lot of energy to keep things together,” she said. “Laws of thermodynamics tells us disorder is always increasing, one of the saddest things is when something we have built together and put energy into falls apart.” Nonetheless, all the professors and administrators we spoke to were confident that both science departments will continue to prioritize the students. “I'm cautiously optimistic for what this will mean for our students in the long term,” Professor Williams said. “This gives us a path toward doing what we all agreed we need to do which is hire faculty and build buildings and really support our students in a way that we know that we need to provide for.” “In the end I know we’re going to be fine because we have such a strong community here and there's so much good energy that’s student centered,” Professor Wiley said. “We’re excited about our program and that’s just going to keep going. I think this will all pass. It’s just a shock right now.”

Students from across the Claremont Colleges gathered in front of Malott Dining Hall on Tuesday to protest Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s recent confirmation to the United States Supreme Court. Organized by two students on Facebook, the protest garnered considerable attention with 345 individuals marking themselves as “interested” on the Facebook event page. Starting with 50 to 100 participants, the protest grew in size as the march moved through campus. The protest started in front of the Scripps dining hall and then made its way throughout the Colleges. Protestors’ voices could be heard from near and far as they shouted various messages in unison including, “Cancel Kavanaugh”; “Our bodies, our choice”; “This is what democracy looks like”; “Hate and fear are not welcome here”; and “We believe Anita Hill, We believe Dr. Ford.” The last message comes in the wake of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh, and served as a major impetus for the protest. One of the student organizers, Gabby Jacoby SCR ‘21, told The Forum that the protest and march were intended to be moments of solidarity on campus for sexual assault survivors. “I hope that we can encourage people to use their voices and believe survivors, and to vote this November,” Jacoby said, amidst leading the protest chants. “We are watching the Senators who voted to confirm Kavanaugh, we are paying attention, and we are the ones who are going to vote them out of the Senate.” Kavanaugh’s confirmation into the Supreme Court on Saturday comes after several months of controversy within the United States Senate and across the nation. After Dr. Christine Blasey Ford came forward with allegations that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her in high school, many Americans, through social media platforms and physical protests, expressed that they did not believe Kavanaugh was fit to be a Supreme Court Justice. After Kavanaugh and Ford each testified in front of the Senate regarding Ford’s allegations, the Senate ultimately voted in favor of Kavanaugh’s confirmation by one of the smallest margins in Senate confirmation history. Pomona student Lianna Semonsen ‘21 said she was motivated to protest particularly in light of Kavanaugh’s confirmation, and due to “the injustice that this represents, not only for [sexual assault] survivors but also women and people everywhere.” Another anonymous student expressed that the Senate decision to confirm Kavanaugh, in their opinion, was not representative of what the majority of American people want. “I think that because of where Claremont is located, not a lot of people will see the physical protest,” they said to The Forum. “But I hope that the press that is here picks it up, and that it is conveyed on a national level along with other protests.” In the hours after the protest, individuals expressed gratitude and solidarity for the event organizers and protestors. Another Facebook post encouraged protestors to donate their posters to Denison Library on Scripps’ campus to remember the event as a part of 5C history, and as a reminder “for future students, activists, and researchers that come to these colleges.” According to an event organizer, the protest was originally scheduled for Monday, October 8, but was moved to Tuesday out of respect for Indigenous People’s Day.