The Student Life

CWPD and QCL see declines in sign-ups; student employees say AI is to blame

April 17, 2026 2:34 am Kahani Malhotra 0

Sign-ups at Claremont McKenna College’s Center for Writing and Public Discourse (CWPD) and Quantitative and Computing Lab (QCL) have declined significantly this academic year. Some student employees attribute the trend to students’ growing use of AI tools for academic support and say a continued lack of sign-ups may result in staff cuts.
This spring, the CWPD has only seen around 345 appointments, according to its sign-up portal — an approximate 50 percent decline in use compared to last spring, when the center received 700 student appointments, according to an email from Associate Director Chloe Ray sent to writing consultants last May.
Several current and former student QCL employees confirmed the center experienced a similar decline in sign-ups.

Pomona Students report buying and trading room draw times due to housing crisis

April 17, 2026 12:34 am Bianca Mirica 0

Students picket and boycott Frary Dining Hall to protest termination of cook Rolando Araiza

April 11, 2026 12:32 am Bianca Mirica 0

Members of the Claremont Community hard at work inside the Motley Coffeehouse at Scripps College

Scripps appoints administrative supervisor to Motley; staff say student-run structure is threatened

April 10, 2026 2:51 am Joelle Rudolf 0

Inside-Out program plans restructuring following Norco prison closure

April 17, 2026 2:35 am Macy Puckett 0

Following a year of uncertainty regarding the program’s future, the 5Cs’ Justice Education Center (JEC) appointed a new interim director, Tessa Hicks Peterson, last month. Peterson has since initiated plans to pilot multiple new partnership models next fall for Inside-Out, as the program navigates reconstruction following its partner institution’s, the California Rehabilitation Center (CRC) — also known as Norco prison — closure in the fall.
Inside students currently participating in Pitzer’s Pathway-to-BA program are set to graduate on May 19 after fulfilling the 32-credit course requirement. They will then be relocated to other prisons in California, but they haven’t been told which facilities they’ll be transferred to, according to Peterson.

Construction continues on Scripps Centennial Plaza Project; phase one set to complete in 2026-27 academic year

April 16, 2026 11:36 pm Carys Hardy 0

Scripps College continues to make progress on its Centennial Plaza Project, which involves renovations of the 10th Street building and the construction of the new Carolyn Lake Dance Center, both of which are expected to be complete during the 2026-27 academic year.

Leah Gorence SC ’28 said that it is exciting to see Scripps invest in new infrastructure. However, she wonders if the Centennial Plaza Project is the best allocation of Scripps’ resources.

Angela Davis and Rishi Sunak among commencement speakers this May

April 10, 2026 3:30 am Kahani Malhotra 0

Last Thursday, Claremont McKenna College announced that former U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and businesswoman Akshata Murty CM ’02, his wife, will be the joint speakers at its commencement ceremony this May. On Monday, Pitzer College announced that it would be welcoming Angela Davis — author, professor and political activist — as its commencement speaker.

These historically controversial speakers have sparked excitement on campus for their arrivals and the values they represent.

5Cs admit class of 2030; CMC to reinstate testing in Fall 2028

April 10, 2026 1:31 am Bianca Mirica 0

As the 5Cs continue to evaluate test-optional policies, students said differences in access to standardized testing shaped their approach to the admissions process, particularly for international applicants. While some colleges have made their policies permanent, others plan to reinstate testing requirements in future cycles.

Audrey between frames: ‘Whisper of the Heart’ and interior worlds

April 17, 2026 3:14 am Audrey Green 0

Audrey Green SC ’27 explores Hayao Miyazaki’s “Whisper of the Heart,” and the moments when we are forced from our quietude. She reflects on the parallels of her own childhood writing processes and those of the main character, Shizuku Tsukushima, and what our passions reveal about the self once we share them. “For a young writer such as Shizuku, this step is intertwined with the act of growing up itself, of learning that to be understood, you must first allow yourself to be seen by the world, even imperfectly,” Green writes.

The L-Word: Quegger gets the last word for the last party of the semester

April 17, 2026 2:42 am Arianna Kaplan 0

On April 10, the Scripps Quegger made its second recurrence this semester — with a bang. The “L-Word” themed party created a space for the queer community to revel, dance and be merry. Queggers are a beloved Scripps tradition that faced extinction after COVID-19, but have now returned to stay.

Revamping the Regency (era): ‘Pride and Prejudice’ production puts a new spin on an old story

April 17, 2026 2:36 am Phoebe Fogel 0

This past weekend, Pomona’s production of “Pride and Prejudice” went up in the Seaver Theatre. The play, written by Kate Hamill, is a hilarious and exciting adaptation of Jane Austen’s classic novel. The show was a fun experience for both die-hard fans of the novel and complete strangers to Regency-era literature alike, and the production team put a lot of effort and thought into aspects such as costume design.

Freedom First: Keith LaMar’s powerful spoken-word performances return to Claremont

April 17, 2026 2:30 am Annabelle Jurus 0

On April 10 at 7 p.m., 5C students gathered in Edmunds Ballroom at Pomona College to experience death row prisoner Keith LaMar’s spoken word poetry, accompanied by a live jazz band. LaMar works closely with members of the 5C Prison Abolition Coalition, who have brought LaMar’s work to Claremont four times.

OPINION: In defense of the Mrs. Degree

April 17, 2026 1:57 am Grace Rutherford 0

“Attending college allows one to develop critical thinking skills and make more informed life decisions, and those decisions compound inside a family,” writes Grace Rutherford PO ‘28. “A woman’s choice to pursue motherhood on her own terms should be recognized as a legitimate expression of empowerment, not a retreat from it.”

OPINION: James Talarico presents a winning strategy to progressives nationwide

April 17, 2026 1:48 am Rafael Hernandez Guerrero 0

“The success of a progressive like James Talarico in the Texas election would bring great hope to many other regions in the United States and ultimately prove that America can overcome its present conservative challenges,” writes Rafael Hernandez Guerrero PZ ‘29. “Candidates like James Talarico present a unique chance for progressives to help Democrats gain the upper hand in Congress and prove themselves as representative of working class interests by actually working to reduce the political power wielded by billionaires if they win seats this upcoming election season.”

OPINION: Cooking from scratch won’t save people on SNAP

April 17, 2026 1:41 am Zara Seldon 0

“From-scratch influencers and right-wing politicians are, of course, not the same people. They operate on entirely different playing fields, yet both groups perpetuate an oversimplified notion of what it takes to eat in ways they deem acceptable and necessary,” writes Zara Seldon PO ‘29. “No, most people do not have enough time or enough money to “just make fresh bread a few times a week.” Yes, launching a campaign founded on the assumption that Americans in poverty could “just eat healthy” if they tried is unreasonable.”

OPINION: In an era of disorder, our cities are still too perfect

April 10, 2026 2:37 am Nicholas Steinman 0

“Lovable neighborhoods don’t get built anymore, only appearing when our social fabric breaks down. But it’s not because we don’t know how to build them anymore,” Nicholas Steinman CMC ’28 writes. “If we reform our byzantine municipal regulations to make it cost-effective for more people to build more varied buildings again, and if we move past our misguided aspiration to create ‘efficient’ urban areas, we can once again build the progress we need in our cities without closing them off to humanity.”

Stags golf wins second SCIAC tournament, prepares for championship

April 17, 2026 12:46 am Josephine Milioto 0

On April 3, the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) men’s golf team clinched a narrow three-stroke victory at the SCIAC No. 2 Tournament. The Stags entered as clear favorites, ranked 4th nationally, but faced their greatest challenges against the relentless winds at Morongo Golf Club at Tukwet Canyon.

Pomona-Pitzer welcomes Dr. Danielle Lynch as new athletics director

April 16, 2026 11:11 pm Jake Creelan 0

Pomona-Pitzer welcomed its new athletic director, Dr. Danielle Lynch, on April 1 as she left her previous post at Haverford College. Lynch brings over 20 years of administrative experience in Division III athletics, which impressed Brent Carbajal, interim vice president for academic affairs and dean of Pomona.

Stags stun Sagehens, sweeping Sixth Street baseball

April 16, 2026 11:01 pm Zachary LeBlanc 0

The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) baseball team delivered a rout to rivals Pomona-Pitzer (P-P) through April 13 and 14, sweeping the series 3-0 to claim the first Sixth Street matchup of the season. CMS got off to a hot start in game one on Friday, culminating in a 17-4 mercy rule win after 7 innings.

CMS men’s tennis sweeps Cal Lutheran, remains nation’s best

April 10, 2026 2:58 am Josephine Milioto 0

CMS Men’s Tennis is continuing their dominant run in SCIAC and Division III tennis as a whole by sweeping Cal Lutheran University 7-0, dropping only one set en route to the shutout victory. Advik Mareedu, HM ’26 explained that their success stems from a strong sense of mutual commitment towards accountability within the team.
“We’re pretty comfortable with letting each other know when someone’s out of place, or someone’s not sticking to that standard,” Mareedu said. “We’ve been trying to make a better effort of holding others accountable if they’re slacking off.”

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