First-generation students make up between 9.6-20 percent of the student body at each of the 5Cs. Amidst national legislation targeting DEI enrollment and threatening already-vulnerable students, Maya Zhan PO ’26 unpacks first-generation students’ spaces and experiences.
Author: Maya Zhan
Gorman Bentley: Accessing the sublime without pretension
Gorman Bentley, an artist specializing in abstract color fields, describes minimalism as a form of “sensory deprivation” that helps viewers access the “sublime”—a deeper, unseen layer of meaning separate from physical elements of the work.
New Yorker tote bags at the 5Cs: Symbolic or functional?
The New Yorker tote bag is ubiquitous at the 5Cs. The tote, offered exclusively to subscribers of the New Yorker magazine, is a phenomenon unto itself. Many students cite the tote as a primary reason for subscribing to the magazine, while others searched the online resale market. Many believe the tote has transcended its original function due to its signage value: the bag signals that its owner is well-read and cultured.
Aaron Sorkin tells all: writing, managing criticism and why he loves what he does
On Nov. 7 at Scripps College’s Garrison Theater, Emmy-winning writer-director-producer Aaron Sorkin spoke with Claremont High School theater educator Krista Carson Elhai as part of the ongoing speaker series “Scripps Presents.” Sorkin shared wisdom and his struggles during his ascent in the entertainment industry.
5C students mourn, express fear over violence in Gaza and Israel
In Claremont, Jewish students and organizations centered around Judaism on campus, as well as Palestinian students and groups supporting the Free Palestine movement, have expressed pain as they mourn those who have been killed by Hamas and the IDF. These groups have organized teach-ins, marches and vigils throughout the past week to express solidarity in painful times, even as tensions grow.
Scripps Presents welcomes Gabrielino-Shoshone Tribal Council
“íyo’toróvim yaraarkokre ‘eyoo’ooxono (We the Caretakers Remember our Land)” bridged Indigenous oral history with intercultural music performance. Held at Garrison Theater on Oct. 7, the performance was constructed with the guidance of the Gabrielino-Shoshone Tribal Council, an intertribal coalition with ancestral lands in present-day Claremont. The Indigenous speakers’ words were accompanied by a live music ensemble.
From plastic to pedagogy: faculty and students analyze the Barbie movie phenomenon at The Womxn’s Union
On Thursday, Sept. 21, dozens of 5C students, faculty and staff gathered in Pomona College’s Womxn’s Union (WU) for a discussion on the cultural phenomenon “Barbie,” directed by Greta Gerwig. The film has been heralded as a catalyst for conversation about feminism, corporatism, patriarchy and other pertinent issues. Three Pomona
Community activism triumphs: Pitzer workers Jose ‘Pepe’ Vázquez and Gregorio Reyes rehired following termination as new union contract brings more worker protections
Early last week, workers at Pitzer College entered their first union contract with the school, following months of arbitration and over two years of wins and setbacks while organizing. With their three-year contract in effect Sept. 4, Pitzer staff now have annual salary increases, respected seniority and union safeguards against
Thinking Its Presence conference confronts violence inflicted upon BIPOC psyche
From March 30 through April 2, the interdisciplinary conference “Thinking Its Presence: Racial Vertigo, BlackBrown Feelings, and Significantly Problematic Objects” took place at Pomona College. The 40+ events in the conference included BIPOC scholars, activists, artists and authors. Attendees engaged in workshops and panels combining aesthetic, spiritual, performance-based and conversational approaches to explore the violence inflicted upon the psyche and affective states of BIPOC individuals.
Cornel West Ath Talk discusses loss of hope, nihilism of modernity
Cornel West, prolific left-wing activist, author and public intellectual, delivered a talk to an excited Athenaeum audience on Mar. 23. CMC philosophy professor Briana Toole facilitated the talk. West’s talk addressed ways to remedy our callous, nihilistic attitude that has taken shape in the years since his influential book Race Matters was published in 1993. He addressed topical concerns such as depression amongst college students, as well as a plethora of universal themes such as the paramount value of art and the importance of community.