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We are all well-accustomed to the presence of Public Safety officers on our campus. Not many students, though, know the story behind these familiar faces in uniform. Just like us, they are all here for a reason, filled with passion and love for the Claremont McKenna College community. After spending a few hours with our PSOs filled with subtle jokes, interesting stories and endless laughter, I have come to know our officers for their quirks, their hobbies and, to put it very dramatically, their true selves. Read on to get to know the talented, motivated and supportive officers and delve into their world beyond CMC! ROMEO ALEXANDER PEREZ “I am the baby of the group,” shared the cheeky and charismatic Romeo Alexander Perez. Born and raised in L.A., Perez is continuing his family tradition of military service. Choosing this path was hard, but through his work at CMC, Perez wishes to experience the college life that he never had. “I want to make a presence here, form connections with students that last, and so far, everything is off to a promising start,” Perez shared with a wide smile when asked what motivates him to be at CMC. Brian Weir attests to Perez’s ability to achieve this goal, given his approachable, caring and intentional approach to safety and wellbeing. When asked what the most challenging aspect of this job is, Perez shared, “It is probably getting students to realize that public safety isn’t here to punish them. I am here to help students get through school in a safe, yet fun manner.” So far, Perez has only had rewarding conversations with students about their lives, goals and aspirations. He is happy to talk with students about anything and everything, and is always up for a good debate. View Perez as the elder-brother you don’t have. Give him a high-five in passing or even stop and say what’s up. I strongly attest Perez’s words of wisdom, “I’m hip, I’m cool, I’m chill!” RATHANA KRY Often described as a ‘social chameleon’, Rathana “Thana” Kry can hold a conversation with anyone. Born and raised in Cambodia Town, Long Beach, Thana grew up in a multicultural hotpot. There is never a dull moment in her life because she is surrounded by people from various cultural backgrounds, as well as constantly being exposed to new traditions, festivals and food. Her adaptability is evident given the variety of security roles she has held in the past. Ranging from customer-service security in shopping strips, low-rise and high-rise buildings, to urgent security dispatch, Thana has done it all. “These diverse positions contribute to my ability to act quick, communicate and adjust to different environments with ease,” Thana said. Much to our good fortune, Thana’s love for an educational environment like CMC brings her here. She believes her innate ability to adapt to different situations, as well as her dynamic past experiences will positively contribute to our safety and security. “Every time we get a new call, we do not know what we are getting into, and that is exciting. The trick is to trust in your teammates and be confident in your ability to deal with the problem,” shared Thana with a determined and fulfilled smile. When she isn’t busy being CMC’s superwoman, Thana loves talking about the beautiful scenery in Claremont. She strongly believes that “the team members complete each other and complement each other really well. Everyone laughs, jokes about things but also corrects each other when needed.” BUTCH TROPEZ Originally from Compton, Butch Tropez has now been in Rialto for over 31 years. A retired police officer, Tropez has seen the good and the bad in the field of security. Thus, the serene and scenic Claremont is the ideal new work environment for Tropez. Given his love for the outdoors and fishing, it only helps that there are rabbits and squirrels roaming about while he works. Beyond the natural beauty, Tropez’s desire to work in a college setting in his home state, brings him here. “I love the people at CMC, the staff and the students,” Tropez told The Forum. “Being able to meet an eclectic group of individuals and learn what they’re doing in there time at CMC and after it, is very rewarding.” While Tropez loves to listen, he is also willing to share. His great-grandparents were plantation workers. A year ago, he got the chance to visit South Carolina and walk the same grounds that his ancestors were once enslaved on. “The entire experience was extremely moving for me. We all have a history, and I am more than willing to talk about mine,” shared Tropez. Tropez’s love for Claremont and its people reflects in his nurturing, vulnerable and open mindset to life, and he cannot wait to share that with the rest of our community. ELVIS MORALES On a random night in 1990, Elvis Morales met his wife at a gas station. Two years later, they got married. Twenty years down the line, “she’s still here,” Morales chuckled. Born in Tijuana and raised in San Diego. Morales served in the marines for six years. Public safety at CMC is his first security job and coming into it, he shares that he didn’t know what to expect. “Growing up in the area, I knew of Claremont and the CMC community, and I am extremely excited to finally be here. While I was nervous, the experience has been nothing but rewarding,” Morales said. Morales is honest and critically reflective, which I could gauge when he spoke about his challenges so far. “Learning everything required for the job and adapting to be all-encompassing towards the diverse student body takes getting used to,” shared Morales. Morales’ adaptation process appears to be one of growth and, in turn, reward. “I have seen a positive difference in the way public safety is viewed on campus and built relationships with students along the way,” Morales said. ROBERT A. GONZALES JR. “The staff, the students, (and) the vibrant atmosphere” bring Robert A. Gonzales Jr. from Rancho Cucamonga, to the Claremont community. His motivation to be a part of the CMC community is to support campus safety and show his dedication to everyone who is a part of it. “My favorite interactions are always when a student flags me down for an escort when its cold or raining outside,” Gonzales remarked of his student interactions so far. For someone with thirteen years of experience in security, the job has not proved too challenging so far. It is “all a day’s work and I’m enjoying it,” Gonzales said. Gonzales’ goal is to be there when needed, and actively contribute to any situation he can. “I want to apply my past experience with medical emergencies and other urgent security cases to CMC and be a supporting figure,” Gonzales affirmed with conviction. Besides his professional role, Gonzales wants to be your friend: “Come talk to me about anything and everything, ranging from how your day is going, to sports and current affairs! I am always willing.” The presence of enhanced security and public safety officers has naturally brought some confusion and questions with it. Some students were dissatisfied with this presence and did not understand it. The best way to bridge that gap is to get to know the officers and their intentions. At the end of the day, the team is here to help students enjoy their time at CMC safely. The goal is to make our community the safest space possible, and such a goal cannot be met without the collaboration of students and the team. So what are you waiting for? Step out and get to know who these new, friendly faces really are. You’d be surprised at how much you may have in common. Feel free to talk to them in passing, or reach out to Brian Weir at DOS if you have questions.

If you were recently hired or have been thinking about working on campus, it is necessary that you familiarize yourself with Payroll. Payroll, a part of CMC’s Office of Treasurer, manages everything related to student employment: employee/supervisor information, the amount paid to employees during a pay period, all the records of the wages and totals for the year, etc. The Payroll office is located in Bauer South B31, and is open Monday through Friday from 8:00am-noon and 1:00pm-5:00pm. Monica Diaz is the supervisor of Payroll. She oversees all the activity happening in the office and is willing to help students with their paperwork. Not a CMC student, but an on-campus employee? You can still be cleared through Payroll. There are a few steps you need to complete at Payroll in order to get cleared to work. STEP ONE: GET YOUR WORK-CLEARANCE CARD In order to get your work-clearance card, you are REQUIRED to bring original copies of UNEXPIRED documents and complete a Student Information form packet. In the packet, you will need to fill out the required paperwork provided. This includes your I-9, W-4, Employee’s Withholding Allowance Certificate, Acknowledgement of Meal and Rest Period, Deposit preference, and the CMC Employee Identification Record. Filling out the packet is straightforward, but, again, if you have any questions, Monica is there to help. After Payroll photocopies your documents and collects your completed packet, you will receive your work-clearance card. STEP TWO: COMMUNICATE WITH YOUR BOSS If you have already been hired, it is important to check in with your supervisor. Your supervisor needs to send a Personal Action Form (PAF), a form that provides Payroll with your information, start date, position title, wage, and account information. The PAF gives Payroll a heads-up that you have been hired. STEP THREE: WORK AND WAIT When you log into your Workday account, you will see the picture above. There are different applications for you to access here, but the most important aspect of this system is Kronos (circled in red). Begin working and keep track of your hours! While you do so, Payroll will be processing all of your information from the PAF into the Workday system. Once your information is put into the Workday system (usually takes 2+ weeks depending on the high volume of new student hires), you will receive two emails to complete the on-boarding process for your Kronos account. Your Workday account will allow you to see your information given to Payroll and will give you access to Kronos. You will be able to record all of your hours on a timecard within a certain pay period in Kronos. When you receive these emails, return to Payroll WITH YOUR COMPUTER and complete the on-boarding process there. Upon completion, you will have access to your timecard on Kronos in 24 hours. STEP FOUR: RECORD YOUR HOURS ON KRONOS As soon as you gain access to your Kronos timecard, it is best to ask Monica to show you how to input all of your hours into a timecard for the current pay period. Each pay period covers a span of two weeks, and your timecard in Kronos will show you the current pay period. It is important to make sure that all your on-campus jobs are listed when clicking on “Transfer.” If you have worked during a previous pay period, Payroll has paperwork for all the past pay periods where you can manually log your hours. Be sure to submit your timecards in Kronos or to Monica. STEP FIVE: RECEIVE YOUR PAYCHECKS Within a few days, you will start receiving your hard-earned money! If you have not received your paychecks, make a trip to Payroll to resolve the issue.

Happy holiday season CMC! As we make our way through the best time of the year, I’m sure you don’t have time to think about much other than finals. So to ease a bit of your stress, I put together a gift guide for all the people in your life while sticking to a college student budget. So whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, or just the end of the semester, I hope you find some inspiration from these gift ideas! For your roommate: If your roommate is from the U.S., give them a piece of their home state with one of these candles, each of which has a specific scent to remind them of home ($30). If your roommate constantly loses their phone or is now on their fourth Hydroflask, get them a tile so they’ll never lose their essentials again ($15). For the room setup that doesn’t allow for a bedside table, this bedside caddy will keep your roommate’s phone, water bottle, or chapstick in reach ($22). For your friends: These multicolored lights have bluetooth speakers on them, so your friend can spruce up their dorm while also having surround sound ($24.99). A weighted blanket might sound like a strange concept, but these blankets are insanely relaxing and really do help with stress relief, making them the perfect post-finals gift ($59.88). Help your friend find the perfect studying and/or Netflix watching position with this wedge pillow that will take their XL twin the the next level ($30.99). For your suitemates or hallmates: You can never go wrong with fuzzy socks, and this 12-pair pack, will have enough to go around ($27.99). Buy this 2 pound bag of pink Starbursts and split it between your suitemates or hallmates so they don’t have to experience the disappointment of a yellow Starburst ($21.07). While it may seem a little bit strange, this squatty potty can be a suite or hall bathroom game changer. This is the gift that never stops giving ($19.99). For your significant other: Your significant other would no doubt love the opportunity to see your face when they wake up every morning with this cardboard face cutout ($27.99). You can also pamper your significant other a bit with a super luxurious feeling silk pillowcase so they get good sleep and never have a bad hair day ($37.99). This one is a bit pricey, but a sports-loving significant other would definitely love to spruce up their dorm with an Art of Words print ($49.99). For your professor: An Augie’s gift card to grab some coffee from one of Claremont’s most well-loved coffee shops ($ varies). If you’re feeling generous, a massage certificate to relax after frantically grading finals is always appreciated, or at least re-gifts well ($ varies). This peppermint bark is a holiday classic that is easily shareable and sure to please ($21.71). For your siblings: A game for game night that they will want to play with their friends! I know a board game may not sound like the most exciting gift, but I promise this game is insanely addictive ($14.89). I always bonded with my brothers by mildly annoying our mom together, so reminisce about the good old days of childhood with a sibling through this mug that is perfect for anyone who used to love to play with their food ($25). CMC gear is always a great option as you make an effort to indoctrinate your younger siblings to the CMC way of life. For your parents: A gift card to their favorite restaurant in your hometown. Now that you’re out of the house, your parents can finally have some time to themselves, so treat them to dinner on you. Hire a local photographer to do a family photo shoot when everyone is home for once. Your parents would no doubt appreciate the photos for years to come. These inexpensive herb planters that look great in the kitchen are also extremely functional and, more importantly, hard to kill with their hydroponic growing system ($18-25). I hope these were helpful, and happy shopping! Credit for many of these ideas goes to Business Insider’s gift guides.

From fielding hilarious questions about your country to stuffing your suitcase full of Amazon items that your family obsessively orders to your CMC address every time you go home, there are certain struggles that every international student at CMC has experienced. As an international student from Vancouver, Canada, being closer to home does not make these issues any less prominent. I decided to interview a few other international students on campus about their experiences going to college in the U.S. in order to increase awareness of the international student experience at CMC. “How I misprinted all of my papers in the first week of school” Saskia Shirley ‘22, Sydney, Australia For most international students, there are unforeseeable differences between the U.S. and their home country. From experiencing culture shock to being forever confused when hearing temperatures in Fahrenheit instead of Celsius, the differences seem never-ending. Shirley’s story perfectly demonstrates this notion: “I went to go hand in one of my first papers at CMC, and as I was handing it in, I realized that the whole bottom half of the essay had cut off, and I had no idea why! This kept happening for a while, until one of my friends actually looked at the printer settings on my laptop and we realized that Australia has different paper sizes to America; we print on A4 in Australia, and Americans print on U.S. letter size. So my essay had printed supposedly on A4 paper, and a whole chunk of the paper was cut out. My professor was pretty understanding, but it was still a little awkward.” Shirley listed people being unfamiliar with Australia as a general frustration of hers. “People have asked me why I can’t go home for Thanksgiving, because they don’t realize how far Australia truly is. That would be a really long way to travel home for a holiday we don’t even celebrate in Australia. I’ve even been asked if Australia is part of the European continent!” Shirley also finds the responses her peers give when they try to guess where she is from quite humorous. “When I first got to CMC, the first question I would get asked when I spoke to someone was where I was from. Eventually, I got tired of answering that question, so I had people guess. I was amused when people would guess places like Sweden, Belgium and England.” She went on to discuss that she struggles with people only focusing on where she is from when she first meets them due to her noticeable accent. “I, of course, don’t notice that I even have an accent, but when I was meeting people in the first week of my freshman year, I would get a little frustrated when the first thing they would ask after talking to me for a bit is ‘Where are you from?,’ because I felt as though they hadn’t been listening to anything else I said, and just focused on how I said it. It is very understandable though, people are just curious because they aren’t familiar with where I am from.” “How I almost got registered as a woman on my social security form” Harrison Hosking ’21, Auckland, New Zealand International students must obtain a social security number in order to work on campus. It can be a lengthy and, frankly, annoying process that many international students struggle with. Hosking’s story is a particularly comedic example of this. “In the first semester of my freshman year, I wanted to work at the Atheneum, so I needed a social security number. The director of the Athenaeum wrote me a letter of recommendation, and I went down to the social security office in Pomona with it, along with all of other my forms. It was about a three hour wait, until I finally got to the booth to hand in all of my documents. The process was very matter-of-fact; the man at the booth was extremely serious. In a very professional manner, he asked me to look over the final documents and make sure everything was in order. I was about to tell him everything was okay, when I suddenly noticed a small error. I said, “everything is correct, except ... I’m not a female.” He stammered “oh” and awkwardly chuckled and then went back and corrected it … and that is how I was almost registered as a woman in the U.S. social security database.” Hosking also humorously noted how people constantly confuse New Zealand and Australia, as a general struggle he experiences. “A lot of people seem to think I’m from Australia, because they can’t decipher between a New Zealand and an Australian accent, despite the fact that they are two very different countries. Someone I met even thought that New Zealand was in Europe, sort of around where England is, and another person thought New Zealand was in Canada, which I was very confused about.” “How I found out my family’s culture” Mrinalini Bhushan ’21, New Delhi, India International students are generally used to getting hundreds of questions from their peers, curious about their country of origin. While this can get exhausting, sometimes we are asked questions we don’t even know the answers to, encouraging us to learn more about our roots. I get asked a lot of questions about free healthcare in Canada and have been forced to educate myself more about the Canadian healthcare system as a result. While questions can come across as offensive or ignorant, people are usually just trying to educate themselves about other countries, taking advantage of the presence of international students in order to do so. Bhushan learned this when one of her friends asked her a question in her freshman year: “A friend of mine once asked me what an Indian household looks like. Instead of understanding why he was asking me that, I got offended. I responded ‘It looks like any other American household’ and he was unable to understand my frustration. In retrospect, I realized that there are minute differences between Indian and American households such as the presence of certain artifacts, religious symbols, and even architecture, that do make Indian households unique. This made me realize that I need to be a little more accepting of questions about India, even though they may initially come across as aggressive or offensive. I take for granted that people would know what it’s like to live in India, but that is not the case. People are genuinely just curious and trying to learn more about the world.” International students see life at CMC through an entirely different lens than domestic students and go through hardships, big and small, humorous and serious, on a daily basis that color our overall experience. However, I can confidently say that going to school in the U.S. allows us international students to learn more about ourselves and to view our home country from a brand new perspective.

CMC alumnus and White House correspondent for The New York Times Michael Shear ’90 spoke about his college life and professional experiences with Miriam Farah ’23 on the sixth episode of CMC Conversations: Journalism in Politics. The live show on Instagram started at 4 p.m. on January 14, and lasted 30 minutes. About 30 people attended the Instagram Live, which was the largest audience CMC Conversations had and retained. The recording was uploaded to CMC’s official Instagram page. At CMC, Shear received a public policy degree with a self-designed journalism minor while working as a student journalist for The Forum and later The Collegian, a 5C newspaper that no longer exists. During his time as an Athenaeum fellow, Shear invited many professional journalists to campus. Shear also interned for the Los Angeles Times and helped cover the inauguration of George H.W. Bush when he participated in CMC’s Washington Program. He loved his time in Washington, D.C., and believes that “at some level, the experience at CMC and doing student journalism was kind of what ultimately led me to what I’m doing there,” Shear said. Before working for The New York Times, Shear worked for The Washington Post and covered the local government in Virginia, and then Virginia’s State House for six years before covering national politics, including both of President Donald Trump’s impeachments. Shear enjoys reporting news regarding the presidency because he can “travel all over the world on Air Force One [...], and [he] sees the world in a very different way,” Shear said. “One thing about covering the White House and national politics is that you’re at the heart of stories that are global in nature where the whole world is watching.” To cover White House news, Shear would be alerted every time Trump tweeted, and one of his colleagues would even be on duty as early as 4:30 a.m. to quickly report news. When asked about Trump’s attack on the press and his constant undermining of public health messages regarding COVID-19, Shear said that his job remains the same — reporting useful and important information. Farah mentioned that Trump's attacks on the media can lead to huge consequences. In agreement, Shear believes that “there comes a time when you need the media to be putting out these important messages. In this case, it turned out that it was about a pandemic, and you ended up having something like half the country not believing in masks or that the virus is real.” According to Shear, these are consequences of Trump’s actions. Nonetheless, Shear noted that his “responsibility is not to get into a big fight with [Trump].” He continues to say that he “will never win a fight with the President of the United States. But what I can do is say ‘Okay, that’s fine. You have your opinion.’ But, I will ask you about this policy and what you meant when you said this. I think the more we stick with the news instead of engaging with him in a back and forth, I think we would be better.” Shear also talked about his experiences writing investigative pieces about the pandemic, including slow COVID-19 testing, missing information, and vaccine development. He said that the duty of journalists is not just about daily news coverage. “I think that’s kind of a twin responsibility for a journalist: react to the news, cover the news, but then also do some investigative stuff to give people a sense of what’s really going on,” Shear said. Since the pandemic has caused people to cancel or postpone events, Shear advised the student journalists to “make the pandemic your friend.” Shear believes that the pandemic grants journalists the opportunity to learn about people’s current struggles and lifestyles. “I would recommend making the pandemic your inspiration for your news,” Shear said. “Do as much as you can to report about how CMC students, faculty, and administrators are managing during this crisis.”

Amid the recent spread of COVID-19 in the United States, Claremont McKenna College has confirmed plans for the rest of the semester regarding online classes and required departures from campus. Like CMC, Pitzer College and Pomona College have decided to move classes online for the remainder of the academic year. Harvey Mudd College and Scripps College have moved to online classes at least until mid-April, and will reevaluate later this semester. Students at all the Claremont Colleges must leave campus by March 23 (Pomona and Scripps students must leave by March 18). For students who strongly feel they need to remain on campus, the colleges have provided a form to fill out to petition to stay. The Forum has compiled the information available to this point and made a step-by-step guide to help students navigate the process. Before you leave: Dining: Frary Dining Hall (Pomona) will be open for Claremont Colleges students through March 22, 2020. Collins will be open March 23, 2020. Move-out Process: Fill out the COVID-19 Response Student Registry, which must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. Saturday, March 14. Register for storage pods using the SPRING CLOSING 2020 Form and FALL MOVE-IN 2020 Form. All students must move out of the residence halls and Student Apartments by Monday, March 23 (5 p.m.). Please submit a Check-Out Confirmation form AFTER you have finished packing and are ready to vacate your room. International Students: There will be drop-in hours at International Place on Thursday and Friday between 1:30 and 5:00 p.m. Make sure your Form I-20 has a travel signature that was signed after Sept. 1, 2019. If you need a new travel signature, you may drop off your document at International Place at any time during business hours. Please note that it will take up to 48 hours to return the Form I-20 to you. After you leave: Classes: alternative distance format, beginning March 30 until the end of the semester (May 15); All undergraduate Claremont Colleges are moving their courses to virtual formats as well. CMC’s Office of the Registrar has also sent out an updated set of academic regulations for Spring 2020. The deadline to drop a class without record has been moved to 11:59 p.m. March 30. The voluntary withdrawal deadline has been moved to 11:59 p.m. May 6. The policy for Credit/No-Credit grading had changed. Students interested in this option should consult their professors. Support resources on campus: academic advising, Soll Center advising, success consultants, peer tutoring, Center for Writing and Public Discourse, Murty Sunak QCL meetings and other programs online or to an alternative distance format. Living arrangements: Students can petition to remain on campus for an extended period if they: have a home address in a country with a level 2, 3, or 4 U.S. travel advisory have a documented health condition that puts them at risk for travel live in a home community that poses a serious health risk have another compelling reason (considered case by case) Not all petitions will be approved. Every effort will be made to assist students to identify an off-campus location if they are unable to return home. Mailroom: Unless prior arrangements have been made, packages that arrive for students who are no longer on campus will be refused/returned subject to storage availability. Please avoid sending packages to the mailroom unless you are on campus to pick them up when they arrive. ASCMC has been collecting many student concerns and opinions, and decision-makers have taken student opinions into account, according to ASCMC President Johnson Lin. His view is echoed by Cristi Kennedy, ASCMC’s chief ethics and procedural officer. Having been a part of the conversations, she trusts that they have done the best that they can. “Just because it has not been explicitly mentioned so far does not mean they have been forgotten,” Lin said in an interview. “They have plans and policies for just about everything that you can think of.” CMC has put considerable thought into addressing needs from low-income students, according to Assistant Vice President and Dean of Students Dianna Graves. Financial aid recipients are mostly likely to qualify for emergency funding and additional support from the college, she said. “Requests for financial support for storage and flights home may be submitted through a section in the registry where students can indicate personal, financial or other challenges,” Graves said in response to questions on emergency funding. “We will assess and evaluate those on a case-by-case basis.” The administration has included international students in its decisions and is aware of the effects of travel restrictions, according to Chrystal Orozco, intermediate director of International Place of The Claremont Colleges. CMC is “in constant communication with me in regard to the complexity of immigration regulations, making sure that they are not missing anything in regard to international students,” said Orozco, primary designated school official for CMC international students. ASCMC is communicating concerns about Class of 2020 senior theses to the administration and focusing on what ASCMC can do to make seniors’ last few days on campus memorable from the student activities perspective. “We should be careful not to spread any misinformation or make any assumptions,” Lin said. ASCMC strongly encourages CMC students to submit their questions via the Google form; they will be directly addressed by the dean of students during tonight’s livestream at 8 p.m.

Due to increasing student demand and the use of data analysis in different fields, CMC plans to implement a new data science major by the fall of 2020 or 2021. The faculty committee will present its first proposal to the curriculum committee in the spring of 2020. The committee, which consists of professors from various departments, has proposed a 12 course major with classes in math, statistics, probability, computer science, and ethics. To fulfill the capstone requirement, the major would also require students to participate in a clinic in addition to completing a thesis. In 2018, George Roberts ‘66 P’93 donated $25 million to expand data science education and computing education. With plans to hire new professors specializing in data science, CMC currently has the faculty and resources needed to launch a data science major. “The data science major will allow students to be a player, an expert in data science,” said Peter Uvin, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty, to stress the distinctive purposes the data science major would serve. CMC students deem the new data science major as “very admirable and a necessary step for CMC to remain a leading national liberal arts college,” according to David Roman ‘22, a current public policy major with a data science sequence. In terms of the differences between the data science major and sequence, Uvin believes that “the major is heavy on math, statistics, and probability. However, the sequence offers students familiarity with data science.” In other words, CMC intends the sequence to be interdisciplinary, as students must also complete a major. While the data science major is intended to make students experts in that realm, CMC will continue to offer the data science sequence but plans to change its name to distinguish it from the major. To determine the major requirements, the faculty committee looked at data science majors at other universities, considered CMC’s resources in statistics, math, and computer science, and examined the guidelines set by the American Statistical Association for data science majors. Many CMC students were hoping that the data science major would provide more access to computer science courses, which have become increasingly difficult to enroll in at Harvey Mudd College. Because of this, there are some concerns about the major’s emphasis on math and statistics and lack of offerings in computer science. In response to such concerns, Mark Huber, Professor of Mathematics and Statistics, explained that CMC is intentionally constructing the data science major to distinguish it from the computer science major. However, there are areas of overlap, such as the requirement to complete clinic. Ideally, students majoring in data science and computer science will participate together in clinic projects during their junior year. For students interested in infusing data science into their economics or government-related majors, CMC’s faculty plans to add data-science oriented courses in the Economics department, one of which is Economics 160: Accounting Data Analytics, taught by George Batta, Associate Professor of Economics. “Teaching a data science course like Econ 160 involves a lot more in-class lab work, where professors present a lecture and students operate software in class,” said Batta in response to the differences between teaching a traditional accounting course and Accounting Data Analytics. This semester, Batta is also one of four instructors of the Data Science’s capstone requirement — DS180 CM — Advanced Projects in Data Science. In the capstone, teams of four students engage in a data-analysis project for organizations in the public and private sectors. “The capstone is unique in the sense that it offers [students] a taste of working with an external client on a real-world program and soft skills, [such as] proper presentation, in addition to analysis skills,” said Batta in an exclusive interview with the Forum. Looking ahead, the Office of Consortial Academic Collaboration is also planning to add a data science major at the other Claremont Colleges, according to Uvin. “It’s where the world is going. The world is more data-driven than it was 10 or 15 years ago,” said Uvin. “It has exploded: the demand and availability of data. The data science major will prepare students for a data-driven world with machine intelligence.”

The term for ASCMC members runs from Spring Break to Spring Break, which means that it is time to elect the new Executive Board, and who those students are is up to you. Students have started campaigning across the school for the seven open positions. Tune in to the livestream of Snack Speeches Monday night at 9:45 PM on The Forum’s Instagram and Facebook page! Voting will be held online starting Monday March 2 after the speeches, and will be open for 24 hours. You can get a glimpse of the candidates’ platforms in their statements below. Student Body President Johnson Lin |CMC '21 Hello CMC! My name is Johnson Lin and it has been my honor serving CMC as the Class of 2021 President for the past three years. I’m pleased to announce my candidacy for ASCMC President and hope you find my experience and platform worthy of the office. Campaign Page: https://www.facebook.com/cmclinftw Elevating Marginalized Communities As a first-gen student of color who relies on financial aid to attend CMC, I’m incredibly grateful for the communities that have supported my journey through college. Unfortunately, there are still many systemic barriers that undermine the success of students of marginalized identities. As ASCMC President, I will be your advocate and elevate your voices. The initiatives I’ve planned include institutionalizing funding for affinity groups, pushing back recruiting and mandating D/I training for campus organizations, making ASCMC elections more financially accessible, and pressuring CMC’s administration to finally take mental health seriously. Institutional Accountability A good amount of CMC’s endowment is generated via an unknown investment portfolio. As students, we deserve to know what industries our tuition dollars are put towards and what kind of practices our institution supports. I will lead efforts to uncover this information and work towards making our administration more transparent and accountable for its actions. Revamping ASCMC Diplomacy I plan on strengthening the CMC student body’s relationships with DOS, the Board of Trustees, the Office of Admissions, and other 4C’s so that we can access a plethora of new resources and increase our capacity for bigger and better projects. Previously, my diplomacy with the 5C student governments garnered an unprecedented amount of funding for MonteCarlo, enabling us to expand event capacity, despite eliminating the revenue from ticketing. If you have any questions or feedback, feel free to contact me at jlin21@cmc.edu. Yours Truly, Johnson Lin, #LinfortheWin EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT Cindy Lay |CMC '22 Over the past year and a half (or 1.44 yrs since 9/18/2018 but who’s counting), I’ve served as 2022’s First-Year and Sophomore Class President. I’ve had lots of fun planning events, announcing birthdays, and sharing anonymous shoutouts. I could elaborate on my work as class president, but if you want an honest and unbiased answer just ask a current sophomore/2022-er. As EVP, I’m interested in change on a school-wide level. Bryan Carlen has done a fabulous job emphasizing the importance of Senate through our student body; I’d like to extend his work towards a purposeful inclusive Senate. I won’t make promises because I’m not bribing... but here are some thoughts: 1. Tear down the wall between Ryal Lab and Phillips 2. Build a high-speed rail to Mudd (to the dining hall??) 3. Unlock the Hub doors leading out on the patio. a) This could be possible 4. Get tap access on our IDs especially to swipe into meals. a) This also might actually be possible I’ll give 100% effort to implement the above changes. Also, here are some realistic changes: 1. Fix the information overload in our inboxes. a) Our time is scarce and valuable. Let’s implement more rules for school-wide emails. Let’s get more creative and efficient with communication. Emails shouldn’t be a default. 2. Shorten and improve the efficiency of Exec and Senate meetings a) I’d love to keep increasing attendance at Senate and Executive Board. We can shorten meetings and create time stamps in the agendas. This allows students to attend specific parts of Exec Board meetings and stop by at certain times (ie 7:30pm) instead of staying for the whole meeting. I’d also love to hear your thoughts and ideas (I’ve kept an advice/ideas surveys on every class email) Thank you for your valuable time; good luck on your midterms! David Roman |CMC'22 Hi Stags and Athenas! My name is David Roman, and I am running for the position of Executive Vice President. My past experience in ASCMC as Chief Operating Officer and Dorm President has afforded me the opportunity to familiarize myself with the operations of the organization and the powerful impact we can make on campus. As Executive Vice President, my platform focuses on three areas: transparency, accessibility, and inclusivity. 1. ASCMC a) Increase transparency and accountability with a biannual report on affairs b) Move meetings to a more accessible location to increase student turnout 2. Dormitory a) Allocate dorm budgets to subsidize free menstrual hygiene products and tide pods b) Keep Dorm Presidents accountable in using budgets c) Eliminate laundry machine fees 3. First-Generation/Low-Income Students a) Work with DOS and Roberts Pavilion to eliminate PE course fees b) Advocate for a Summer Bridge program for entering first-years to ease the college transition experience c) Collaborate with Registrar Office to advise students on course scheduling 4. Arts and Music a) Sponsor the Marks Cave Club for a music space b) Increase art resources in the Bubble with funding and supplies for a creative space 5. Student Activities a) Increase funding and collaborations with Dorm Halls and Quantum Records for TNC 6. First Year Programming a) Collaborate with DOS to mandate Resume/Cover Letter workshops b) Create a club document and inform book with application deadlines 7. Disability/Accessibility Resources a) Advocate for ADA compliment buildings/dorm halls with automatic doors b) Collaborate with DOS to mandate accessibility trainings for disability support and informs students with accomodations about civil rights 8. Mental Health Resource a) Destigmatize the mental health conversation with forums and town halls b) Fund extra on-campus therapist for CMC students only VICE PRESIDENT OF STUDENT ACTIVITIES Daniel Heron |CMC'21 Hello! My name is Daniel Hayon, and I am running to be your next VPSA. With my two years of experience as an Events Commissioner in ASCMC as well as my internship in live event production, I believe I am both qualified and ready to take on the role of Vice President of Student Activities. Now, I want you to think back to your first year here at CMC. Freshman year was sooo fun! From your first TNC to your big 5C party introduction at Toga, you created memories for a lifetime. But then what happened after? You go to the same TNC and the same big party, and it all gets a bit repetitive. I think it is about time we spice up CMC’s party scene. My goal is to reinvent each event so that you walk in and think: “Oh? This is different!” But in the best way. Moreover, I plan on reintroducing ‘co-hosted TNCs’ so that clubs, organizations, and everyone else can get the proper funding needed to throw a party for all to enjoy. Tradition is fun, and CMC has a lot, but my hope is that we can create a new big party to look forward to. How about we have a darty in the winter? Why must we wait between 6:01 and McKennapalooza? What about a secret Speakeasy party hidden away on campus? Additionally, I want to hear YOUR ideas, and get your feedback on what YOU want. That’s why, I will include a form for ‘event suggestions’ in every Party Inform I send out. That brings me to my final point: I will make sure you receive an informative, stacked Party Inform by Tuesday each and every week, so come Monday night, vote Daniel for the most fun year yet! Amadeo Cantu-Trevino |CMC'22 What’s up CMC! My name is Amadeo Cantu-Trevino (aka “Guy”) and I am a current Sophomore born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. My hobbies include: playing IMs such as Basketball and Cornhole, riding my longboard down the Roberts hill, heckling any opposing player who competes against CMS, and, as many of you guys know, DJing events here on campus on the weekends. Over the past two years, I have been an Events Commissioner for ASCMC and have loved every minute of it. For almost all of my time here at CMC, I have helped with every major event and TNC. I have been a part of some really awesome events as well as some that didn’t quite go as planned. I also have had the wonderful pleasure of working under two VPSAs. Over the years, I have acquired the knowledge of what works at CMC and what doesn’t. My goals for this upcoming term are to provide more assistance to clubs and organizations that want to throw events for either their own members or for the school as a whole, increase the presence of a CMS student-section across all sports and games, host events that foster more of a community feeling here on campus, and make the CMC party culture accessible and enjoyable for everyone. Over the past year, I believe that events on campus have improved thanks to the ASCMC events team and the student body’s support. I am excited to keep this trend going. Feel free to stop me next time you see me around campus or let me know if you want to grab a meal for whatever, whenever! My ultimate priority as VPSA is YOU. Thank you. DORMITORY AFFAIRS CHAIR RISHI BHAT |CMC'22 SENIOR CLASS PRESIDENT Grace Wang |CMC'21 Hello Class of 2021, My name is Grace Wang and I am running for your Senior Class President. This role is very important to me because over the past three years I have gotten to know this class very well and I want to make sure that we have the representation that we deserve. A major part of the role for senior class president is to plan a number of our largest events such as 100 days, thesis party, the Vegas trip and many others. Another major part of the role is to meet with the class cabinet every week and plan well in advance for all of our events and to make sure the logistics work out. These are skills that are not easy to navigate without experience. I have served on multiple class cabinet, working with Johnson every week to plan our class events. I have also served on ASCMC as an events commissioner as well as the VPSA. Through these roles I have had plenty of experience navigating between representing our class and the student body as a whole and working with DOS to make sure that we not only have fun events but also safe events. If elected, I plan on being a class president who not only represents the class through my own ideas, but also gets our plans from the class. I will have a diverse and experienced cabinet who will not only help represent our class well, but will also be actively talking to the class. It is important to me that everyone in the class is well represented. VOTE FOR GRACE WANG! Much love, Grace JUNIOR CLASS PRESIDENT Samuel Harrison |CMC'22 What’s up everyone? My name is Sam Harrison and I’m running as the Class of 2022 President. I have been an active member of our class cabinet for the last two years, so I have a good understanding of how the Class President role functions. This year I’m also serving as the Administrative, Appropriation, and Affairs Chair, where I manage Senate budget requests, amendments, and resolutions. These experiences have given me a solid amount of institutional knowledge that will help our cabinet and I successfully program events aimed for you all. CMC promotes Community, Purpose, and Play, so to keep things simple, my programming will align with these principles. I will promote and place emphasis on health & wellness, both physical and mental, to remind everyone in this high-stress environment to take care of themselves — in every aspect. I will strive to promote a strong sense of community in our class and to proudly celebrate individuality and self-expression in all realms of our lives. Class events should be in accessible and safe spaces, with programming that can include everyone. I’d also like to hold more class events in mid-quad rather than north-quad since the majority of our class lives in mid-quad. These are my current plans, but I am always open to all of your thoughts and ideas. I plan on holding Office Hours for an hour every Friday afternoon outside the hub, so if you want to get a message across, just come say hi. SOPHOMORE CLASS PRESIDENT Molly Luce |CMC'23 Hey CMC ‘23! I’m Molly Luce, and I am running to be your Sophomore Class president. I have loved meeting you this past semester, and if we haven’t met yet, you can find me in my room (207 Chall), outside at the Hub, or at Ath Tea! Our class is incredibly passionate, diverse, and intelligent; we deserve someone as president who will give their all to this position. Our class president should be someone who is accessible, available for questions, suggestions, and concerns. You deserve someone who can advocate for you; but also someone you can feel comfortable approaching. If elected, I plan on hosting “office hours” twice a week, where you can come to me with anything, from suggestions and questions, or simply just to chat. This next term, our class should host more inclusive events that cater to the various interests of CMC ‘23. I have many ideas for events and programs, such as: 1. CMC ‘23 Apparel! Creating designs for quarter-zips (among other clothing) that help fundraise for our class, while still allowing for inclusive pricing. Additionally, we can give back to our local community by donating some of the proceeds to local charities. 2. Mid-day Naptime: A couple days throughout the semester the Class of ‘23 would host coffee, Yerba Mates, tea, and snacks in Mid Quad surrounded by outdoor blankets and pillows! 3. Partnering with the Soll Center for sophomore specific career/summer internship events! 4. Hosting pregames, Sunday Snack, and occasional TNCs! I would also like to continue the emphasis on volunteerism, by making opportunities more transparent and accessible for students, especially those that don’t have the ability to travel outside campus. Please feel free to reach out to me at any time, my number is (630) 881-9213 and my email is mluce23@cmc.edu! Colin Sam |CMC'23 Hello, my name is Colin Sam and I am from Cincinnati, Ohio however my family is originally from Monrovia, Liberia in West Africa. I was the ASCMC First-Year Class President as well as a mock trial prosecution attorney. I consider my biggest accomplishment as FYCP the creation of CMC’s first Volunteer Calendar which was my main campaign promise. Upon arrival at CMC it was very apparent that there was a lack of culture based around volunteer work and giving back to Claremont. I met with 12 different non-profits around Claremont to see what we could do to help. Through these meetings we were able to set up many different events such as blanket making for the Children’s Foundation of America, the BFS volunteer day for Sustainable Claremont, an event helping Crossroads Women, etc. This is just the beginning of my goal to help establish a volunteering community into CMC much like there is at the other 5Cs. My first year on ASCMC was very rewarding, because of everything I learned about the way that ASCMC functions. There were a lot of aspects of the job that I didn’t even know about when starting, but that I learned how to do throughout the process. Even simple things like being able to use Workday, understanding how executive board meetings work, and learning how to successfully run on-campus events. There are so many little things that go into the job that go unseen. With a year of experience doing the job under my belt, I have learned what works and what does not and that is why I know that I am the best candidate for the job. This is a job that I loved doing and know I can do well again, and nothing would make me happier than your support!

Kravis Lab Hosted On-Campus Round for International Hult Prize Social Innovation Competition On December 6th, 2019, Kravis Lab for Social Impact hosted a competition for the Hult Prize international pitch competition. This on-campus round was open to students of all five Claremont Colleges. The Hult Prize is partnered with the United Nations and seeks to inspire young minds to use social innovation and entrepreneurship to solve the world’s most pressing issues. The Hult Prize operates on over 1500 university campuses in 121 countries. For this year’s competition, the prompt was to “Build Bold Startups that have a Positive Impact on our Planet with Every Dollar Earned and Every Sale Made”, which relates to environmental sustainability, innovative sustainable technology, and creating awareness around sustainability. The Forum sat down with the winning team from this year’s 5C Hult Prize competition. “Positive Charge” team members Elizabeth Song CMC ‘22, Ashley Wang CMC ‘22 and Hannah Zhang CMC ‘22 discussed their simple and innovative idea for an intermediary charging attachment that allows individuals to charge their device until it reaches 100% battery, and then stop charging to save the energy that would otherwise get wasted by overcharging. Their proposal paired this invention with an app that helps individuals track their energy usage to help them be more socially and environmentally conscious. To come up with their winning idea, Positive Charge didn’t have to look far to find ways that people could be more environmentally conscious. “When we came up with the idea, we were really thinking about ourselves as college students and our own environment,” said Zhang. “We asked ourselves how we could take action to change the way we interact with technology.” Wang spoke to how each team member’s different strengths and interests made it easy to split up tasks, thereby optimizing their team’s efficiency: “Elizabeth is an economics and computer science major, so she was in charge of thinking about the tech aspect and the coding for the app, while Hannah and I are the more business side,” she said. In April, Positive Charge will travel to Melbourne, Australia to attend the regional round of the competition. “It’ll be a really cool experience because it’s so global,” said Song. “There will be teams there from all over the world.” After the regional competition, approximately fifty winning teams from across the world will be invited to a 5-week summer accelerator program; from there, six teams will be selected to compete at the United Nations for the $1 million cash prize. Positive Charge attributes much of their success to the mentorship they received at Kravis Lab’s Moonshot Fellowship last summer. This social innovation bootcamp program helped Positive Charge develop their idea and refine it into a realistic and clear pitch under the mentorship of accomplished social entrepreneurs. “Confidence is key,” said Wang. “After so many iterations of the idea, we had a lot of confidence in our pitch. By the time the [Hult Prize] pitch happened, we were ready.” For future 5C students interested in the Hult Prize Competition, Positive Charge offered some advice: “In terms of being prepared, you really need to focus on developing your idea,” said Zhang. “Go through several rounds. Bounce ideas off each other. In the early stages, focus less on implementation and more on the idea itself.” “We were lucky to gel so much as a group and feel comfortable bouncing any idea off each other, even if it seemed out there,” Song added. “Start with the impossible first, and see how you can make it possible.”

Several students from across the Claremont Colleges reported their cell phones missing at ASCMC’s Boswell Frat Party on Saturday night. After the party, a group of students collected outside of Boswell Hall to file reports for their lost phones. Public Safety, ASCMC, DOS and the Claremont Police Department are working together to investigate this matter. Students were made aware of this incident as the “7C for sale/free” Facebook page was flooded with notices of lost phones. Throughout the party some 5C students noticed that their phones were no longer in their pockets, and in some cases, students felt their phones being removed from their pockets. One CMC sophomore told the Forum that she “was just standing in the middle of Boz Frat not moving and felt [her] phone leave [her] pocket and tried to look for it on the ground and didn’t find it.” After the party, students noticed that there was a large group of students crowded around Campus Security to report their lost phones. The CMC sophomore shared her experience with the Forum: “my friend and I waited it out and went to Public Safety or whoever was monitoring the party and asked if they had seen a phone. They said no and a whole bunch of people were crowded around saying the exact same thing.” This student was able to track her cell phone to an address about two blocks away from the CMC campus and reported it to Campus Security who is now pursuing this lead with the Claremont Police Department. Along with the CMC sophomore was Adrienne Tong POM who also reported her stolen phone to Campus Security that night. Unlike the CMC sophomore, Tong’s phone was shut off right after she noticed it missing. Upon reporting to Campus Security, Tong said that other students also reported that their phones were shut off. As of February 24th, the cell phones have not been returned. The CMC Forum reached out to the Office of Public Affairs and Relations, and received this statement from Gillien Silsby: “We received reports from some individuals that their cell phones were stolen during a party at CMC on Saturday evening. CMC Public Safety is interviewing individuals who have come forward to report their phones missing and reviewing any available video footage. We will provide this information to Claremont Police Department. If anyone has additional information about the incident, they are encouraged to contact Brian Weir, Director of CMC Public Safety.”

“When the planet is under attack, what do we do? Stand up and fight!” On December 6th, this chant echoed from students gathered on Walker Beach steps and around Bixby Plaza outside of Frary Dining Hall at Pomona College. Over 250 Claremont students and some from nearby high schools marched for the 7C Climate Strike organized by Sunrise, a movement of young people uniting in the fight to stop the climate crisis. The movement calls upon the Claremont Colleges to take action in the face of climate change. The goals of yesterday’s strike range from promoting transparency about progress toward sustainability goals and projects, to making career, research, and course opportunities in sustainability a priority on all of the 5C’s campuses. Students specifically called on the Scripps Board of Trustees and Pomona Administration to divest from environmentally destructive industries and companies. Specifically for Claremont McKenna College, the strike called for the school to: Update their carbon neutrality commitment to the year 2030 from 2050; Hire a full-time sustainability coordinator; Establish a college-level committee on sustainability. The strike’s goals correlate with Sunrise Movement’s demand for “our politicians and educational institutions to treat climate change like the emergency that it is and enact the Green New Deal as well as many other solutions.” The strike is one of many in a national climate strike responding to the United Nations’ annual climate conference on the very same day. “I am very aware that politicians are not taking this into their own hands. It’s really on us, the students,” said Eric Warmoth, a CMC sophomore and the chair of the CMC Environmental Affairs Senate Committee. “We’re really the ones who have the most to say; we’re the ones who have the longest future ahead of us.” The younger generation has become increasingly involved in climate movements, such as Sunrise. The new series of strikes aim at continuing the momentum built during the most significant action ever taken against climate change – the Global Climate Strike September – which over 3 million participated in, at over 4,000 events in 150 countries. In preparation for the strike, Sunrise Claremont Colleges was meeting for the past six weeks with student organizations across the five campuses, including 5C Divest, 5C Democrats, 5C Planned Parenthood, Scripps Student Garden, Students for Justice in Palestine, and sustainability-related divisions in student government from at least 3 out of the 5 Claremont Colleges (CMC, Pomona and Harvey Mudd). By involving a wide range of clubs and organizations, Sunrise has strengthened their cross-campus alliance in the fight for their shared vision. “This environmental movement needs coalition building,” said Zoe Vavrek, a freshman at Pitzer and leading coordinator for Sunrise Claremont Colleges. “The point of this strike is to provide a platform for different groups to come together, to voice their opinions, and to talk about the future we all want to organize for.”

The CMC Food Recovery Network chapter has won one of the Bon Appétit Management Company’s ten, $1,000, Student Activist Grant Awards. In celebration of The Bon Appétit Management Company Fellow Program’s 10th anniversary, the program devised a grant contest for compelling projects to improve food system sustainability. Out of a pool of roughly 50 applicants, from all corners of the country, the CMC Food Recovery Network chapter was selected as one of the ten winners. “With $1,000, I would buy new food transportation bins for the CMC Food Recovery Network (FRN) club,'' stated Julia Weinstein, President of the CMC Food Recovery Network Chapter. The grant funds will go towards purchasing food-safety transport bins for the chapter. Members of the chapter currently have to use one-use aluminum trays, which go against the network’s mission to be sustainable. Speaking from three years of experience as the CMC FRN President, Weinstein shared “we have great student involvement and already have a schedule filled out for the entire semester with a driver and an assistant to transport food three times a week. However, the new General Manager for Collins Dining Hall recently informed me that the bins we have used in previous years, under different management, are not food safe. Pam even showed me one of our bins with plastic peeling off of the corner. She told me she could not send food in these containers.” With the current frequency of food transports, the waste builds up quickly, and unfortunately, the food-safe bins are as costly as $40 per bin. In accordance to FRN’s goal to promote sustainability, Weinstein has striven to fund a new shipment of approximately 12 food-safe bins but, due to the high bin prices, has struggled to gain enough funding from the ASCMC Clubs and Organizations committee. The Bon Appétit Management Company Student Activist Grant Award, in all likelihood, saved the program at CMC. CMC Food Recovery Network chapter wins this grant alongside organizations from Johns Hopkins University, University of Chicago, MIT, and others. Congratulations CMC Food Recovery Network!