About 150 students gathered on Scripps College’s Bowling Green Lawn Oct. 23 for the first Power Organizing Web (POW) Community Fair, bringing together campus organizations and local groups to connect students with opportunities for community organizing.
Scripps College
5Cs and student governments invest in U-Pass program amid Metrolink fare hike in prices
Metrolink, the commuter rail transport system across Southern California, raised fare prices on Oct. 5 for the first time in 13 years. In a press release, Metrolink said that “limited fare increases” are due to rising operational costs, decreased ridership and a lack of federal funding. One-way Metrolink fares rose by up to about 14%, while the weekday SoCal Day Pass rose from $15 to $19 and the weekend and holiday pass rose from $10 to $12. Metrolink maintained its 50% student discount, but students still had to pay more as the underlying fares increased.
Report finds four Claremont Colleges linked to ‘uncivil’ discourse programs with billionaire, anti-activist ties
A September report by higher education research collective UnCivil called out four Claremont Colleges for their ties to civil discourse programs it says embrace anti-activist agendas or are funded by billionaire-led conservative nonprofits: the College Presidents for Civic Preparedness, the Constructive Dialogue Institute (CDI) and BridgeUSA.UnCivil aims to map the donor networks and conceptual origins of the Civil Industrial Complex, or the series of conservative campus initiatives and private- and state-funded “civic thought” centers that claim to support civil discourse and viewpoint diversity.
COVID-19 is back on campus, at a lower rate than last year
While the 5Cs continue to grapple with COVID-19, positive COVID test rates administered by Student Health Services (SHS) are lower this year than last.
Since the start of the academic year, SHS reported 15 positive COVID results out of 100 students tested through Sept. 25, meaning a 15% positivity rate. Last year, the positivity rate across a similar time period was 19%, meaning a four percentage point decrease.
Still, SHS warns that the figures do not represent all COVID infections across the Claremont Colleges, as many community members self-test with campus resources. “Students who are ill are encouraged to stay home when they have a fever, mask when appropriate, test when symptomatic, and contact SHS with questions or if symptoms worsen,” SHS stated.
Third ever Leftist Coffee Hour encourages unity among student activists
On Friday, Sept. 15, student activist organizations from across the 5Cs gathered at The Motley Coffeehouse for the third edition of the “Leftist Coffee Hour.” The Leftist Coffee Hour is an event featuring 15 different leftist-identifying student organizations, with representatives conducting presentations about their civic concerns, followed by a club showcase. The event enabled students to understand how to get politically engaged in issues such as environmental justice, prison abolition, affordable housing and more. Miranda Elder PO ’29, co-president of Inclusive Claremont, a club that advocates for affordable housing, echoed the importance of these gatherings, noting that one of the objectives of the Coffee Hour is creating an active community of progressive activists.
CMC and Scripps join SoCal campaign for stricter gas boiler regulations
Claremont McKenna College and Scripps College passed resolutions this month to support phasing out large industrial gas boilers in Southern California.
Jaden Yang PO ’28 and Clarissa Aquino PZ ’26 have led the charge at the 5Cs to pass student resolutions on gas boilers. The end goal of the campaign is to convince the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), a government agency that oversees air quality standards, to phase out the use of medium to large-sized boilers across Southern California.
They hope to get all 5Cs to support the resolution by the end of April, so they can show full support for shifting away from gas boilers at the SCAQMD’s next board meeting on May 1.
Motley and Scripps Store close on admitted students day amid staff strike
The Motley Coffeehouse and Scripps Store were closed on April 17, admitted students day, due to student staffing shortages. While the Motley’s barista bar was nonoperational, its lounge area hosted recurring teach-ins that outlined the workers’ demands and recounted the coffeehouse’s political history.
In light of the recent administrative decision to assign a supervisor — Interim Vice President for Student Affairs, Stacey Miller — to oversee each organization, 77.6% of Motley staff and 95% of Scripps Store staff voted to strike today, according to each of the business’s student co-heads.
Construction continues on Scripps Centennial Plaza Project; phase one set to complete in 2026-27 academic year
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.
Scripps appoints administrative supervisor to Motley; staff say student-run structure is threatened
The Motley Coffeehouse, a historically student-run cafe and popular event space at Scripps College, will undergo administrative changes beginning summer 2026 — potentially jeopardizing its entirely student-run business model, Motley staff said.
Stacey Miller, The Motley’s current administrative advisor, announced at an all-staff meeting March 8 that she will be taking on new responsibilities as a supervisor to the coffeehouse, alongside the Scripps Store.
Multiple Motley employees said they felt “blindsided” by this change.
Pomona and Pitzer move from ‘F’ to ‘C’ grades in Anti-Defamation League Rankings; Scripps maintains failing grade
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) upgraded Pomona and Pitzer Colleges’ rankings from ‘F’ to ‘C’ grades in their 2026 Campus Antisemitism Report Card released last month, while Scripps College received an ‘F’ grade again and Claremont McKenna and Harvey Mudd Colleges remained unranked.
ADL reached out to both Pomona and Pitzer prior to releasing this year’s rankings and Pomona “shared some general information about Jewish life on campus,” a Pomona College spokesperson wrote in an email to TSL.
While the spokesperson said the college is “encouraged” by the updated ranking, the numerical value is not their only measure of progress.