At 7 p.m. last Saturday, Nov. 15, the Claremont Shades hosted SCAMFest, the annual collegiate acapella festival at the Claremont Colleges. After months of preparation, the Shades hosted this year’s event to an auditorium full of enthused Claremont students and visitors.
Arts & Culture
The Feline Stare: Understanding Complications in Color
Meiya Rollins PO ’29 reflects on the exhibition, “Complications in Color,” at the Claremont Lewis Museum of Art. Sadness strikes as Rollins admires the work of Rachel Lachowicz, a Californian abstract artist who uses makeup to address femininity, as she reflects back on her art portfolio that followed a similar theme, to a specific art piece as a kid.
SageMUN, the conference where high school students make diplomacy feel alive at Pomona College
This fall, the Pomona College Model United Nations team (PCMUN) revamped its annual conference, SageMUN, pivoting from focusing on college students to working with high schoolers.
Jazz that breathes: Finding Connection Through J Dilla’s ‘Donuts’
For columnist Sinan Walji PO ’28, J Dilla’s Donuts became a way of understanding how one melody can hold different histories at the same time. Walji traces his first encounter with the album at fourteen and follows the story of sampling from Dilla’s era to today.
Pomona alum’s documentary sparks dialogue about exploitation and empowerment
Pitzer College’s screening of I Have a Name, Adam Bronfman’s documentary about photographer Jon Linton’s work with unhoused communities, sparked deep reflection during family weekend. Attendees considered not just the power of storytelling, but also who gets to tell those stories and how advocacy lands in a place of privilege.
Acoustic Open Mic Night showcases the raw talent of student poets and singers
On Nov. 11, students gathered at the Coop Fountain for Acoustic Open Mic Night, an event co-hosted by 5C Pens & Poetry Club and the Pomona Student Union. Many students took to the stage to showcase their original music and poetry centered around their personal experiences and social issues.
Documenting collective memory: Archival projects at 5C APIDA spaces
Many of our campuses’ APIDA spaces came into being in the wake of student protest and political contention. Decades later, we risk forgetting these histories. The AARC and CAPAS are carrying out archival projects meant to preserve institutional memory and share the history of 5C APIDA student life and organizing.
Making room: OBSA’s student art exhibit opening
On Nov. 13, the Office of Black Student Affairs (OBSA) welcomed the community to their bungalow on Pomona campus, where they hosted their second-ever student art exhibit. Black creatives from across the 7Cs were able to submit work, adorning the space with new photography, paintings, collages and poems.
Two is better than one: The co-presidency behind Harvey Mudd’s class of ’29
Harvey Mudd College’s first-year class presidents, Swetha Madhanrajan HM ‘29 and Jimin Bang HM ‘29 — known affectionately as “SWIM” — are redefining what student leadership looks like through intentional connections and a contagious energy that is catching on across campus.
The Claremonster under the bed: The Claremont Institute, the conservative think tank from the Claremont Colleges behind the Trump administration
Founded in 1979 by four Claremont Graduate University students, the Claremont Institute’s once mutual relationship with the Claremont Colleges has changed drastically since the Claremont Institute’s origins.