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Tag: Civic Duty

Arts & Culture Features 
November 8, 2024 12:43 amNovember 8, 2024 12:52 am

Voting clubs across the 5Cs promote civic engagement

By Audrey Green and Charlotte Hahm 5862 Views 2024 election, Ballot, ballots, CIVES, Civic Duty, Civic Engagement, election season, Every vote counts, Kravis Lab, League of Women Voters, LWV, Vote, voter education, Voting, voting clubs

Voting clubs across the 5Cs are fostering civic engagement beyond the 2024 election. Through voter registration assistance, nonpartisan information on propositions, and community events, Claremont Colleges League of Women Voters (LWV), Every Vote Counts Claremont (EVC) and the Claremont Initiative for Voter Engagement Strategies (CIVES) empower students with the knowledge and resources to actively participate in democracy.

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A drawing of a person wearing a backpack and holding a ballot with a checked box, happily walking to the polls.
Opinions 
March 9, 2023 10:17 pm

OPINION: The Claremont Colleges should make Election Day a holiday

By Madison Lewis 2402 Views Civic Duty, Civic Engagement, Elections

College students are notoriously unreliable when it comes to voter turnout – but Madison Lewis PO ‘24 says colleges have an opportunity to change that.

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A hand holds up a post card reading "If you plan to vote by mail, plan ahead." against a gray-blue sky.
Opinions 
September 17, 2020 7:00 pm

OPINION: Voting alone will not save us

By Donnie Denome 3173 Views 2020 Election, Civic Duty, Civic Engagement, Voting

It will take more than voting in the 2020 election to fix the U.S.’s problems, making voting less than the panacea it’s often touted as.

Read more

Weekly Newsletter

Top Articles Today

  • Pomona College’s cognitive science major lottery is a 'nightmare'
  • 5Cs admit class of 2030; CMC to reinstate testing in Fall 2028
  • Angela Davis and Rishi Sunak among commencement speakers this May
  • Students picket and boycott Frary Dining Hall to protest termination of cook Rolando Araiza
  • Claremont Laemmle 5 closes after 18 years, set to reopen under Regency ownership

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Coming to Pomona College, current first-years did not know that majoring in cognitive science would require winning a lottery. This academic year, Pomona’s Linguistics and Cognitive Science Department started limiting the number of students who can major in cognitive science. 

Interest in the once small major has tripled over the last ten years, while faculty size has stagnated. For the past two years, requests to the Faculty Position Advisory Committee for additional faculty positions have been denied by administration. 

Words by Vivian Fan | Photo by Maggie Zhang
Read the full story at the link in our bio.
Coming to Pomona College, current first-years did not know that majoring in cognitive science would require winning a lottery. This academic year, Pomona’s Linguistics and Cognitive Science Department started limiting the number of students who can major in cognitive science. 

Interest in the once small major has tripled over the last ten years, while faculty size has stagnated. For the past two years, requests to the Faculty Position Advisory Committee for additional faculty positions have been denied by administration. 

Words by Vivian Fan | Photo by Maggie Zhang
Read the full story at the link in our bio.
•
Follow
Coming to Pomona College, current first-years did not know that majoring in cognitive science would require winning a lottery. This academic year, Pomona’s Linguistics and Cognitive Science Department started limiting the number of students who can major in cognitive science. Interest in the once small major has tripled over the last ten years, while faculty size has stagnated. For the past two years, requests to the Faculty Position Advisory Committee for additional faculty positions have been denied by administration. Words by Vivian Fan | Photo by Maggie Zhang Read the full story at the link in our bio.
18 hours ago
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1/9
The world feels like it’s ending every day, but you can find civic empowerment in the way you choose to honor your political grief.

“We have no reason to trust anything above our individuality, no reason to hear any organization out or trust that any institution has good faith,” writes Celeste Cariker PZ ’28. “But still, we have a responsibility to ourselves and the progress we want to see in this nation to be resilient in the face of disappointment, to compose ourselves for the sake of organization and lead lives of joy as a mode of resistance.”

Words by: Celeste Cariker | Graphic by: PJ James
Read the full story at the link in our bio.
The world feels like it’s ending every day, but you can find civic empowerment in the way you choose to honor your political grief.

“We have no reason to trust anything above our individuality, no reason to hear any organization out or trust that any institution has good faith,” writes Celeste Cariker PZ ’28. “But still, we have a responsibility to ourselves and the progress we want to see in this nation to be resilient in the face of disappointment, to compose ourselves for the sake of organization and lead lives of joy as a mode of resistance.”

Words by: Celeste Cariker | Graphic by: PJ James
Read the full story at the link in our bio.
•
Follow
The world feels like it’s ending every day, but you can find civic empowerment in the way you choose to honor your political grief. “We have no reason to trust anything above our individuality, no reason to hear any organization out or trust that any institution has good faith,” writes Celeste Cariker PZ ’28. “But still, we have a responsibility to ourselves and the progress we want to see in this nation to be resilient in the face of disappointment, to compose ourselves for the sake of organization and lead lives of joy as a mode of resistance.” Words by: Celeste Cariker | Graphic by: PJ James Read the full story at the link in our bio.
23 hours ago
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2/9
Interrogating the architecture of belief, Laura K. Field examines the ideological ecosystem of MAGA and what sustains its internal coherence. Tracing the emotional and intellectual scaffolding behind the movement, she reveals how narratives of identity, grievance, and loyalty intertwine to shape political reality.

Field suggests that understanding these belief systems is not about endorsement, but about clarity. “If we fail to take these ideas seriously,” she implies, “we risk misunderstanding the forces that continue to shape American political life.”

Words by Irikaa Mehrotra | Photo courtesy of Jonathan Hernandez
Read the full story at the link in our bio.
•
Follow
Interrogating the architecture of belief, Laura K. Field examines the ideological ecosystem of MAGA and what sustains its internal coherence. Tracing the emotional and intellectual scaffolding behind the movement, she reveals how narratives of identity, grievance, and loyalty intertwine to shape political reality. Field suggests that understanding these belief systems is not about endorsement, but about clarity. “If we fail to take these ideas seriously,” she implies, “we risk misunderstanding the forces that continue to shape American political life.” Words by Irikaa Mehrotra | Photo courtesy of Jonathan Hernandez Read the full story at the link in our bio.
2 days ago
View on Instagram |
3/9
Last Thursday the Claremont Police Commission held their first meeting since the homicide of Diego Rios. Claremont community members — including many 5C students — spoke out during public comment seeking accountability and reform from the city. 

The Commission did not respond to demands or suggestions from speakers throughout the meeting.

“I was really disheartened by [the Commission’s] choice to not respond to the many, many comments of concern, of smart suggestions for steps forward made by community members and to instead continue with business as normal,” attendee Clare Reimers-Hejnal SC ’26 said.

Words by Quinn Bolster | Photo by Maggie Zhang
Read the full story at the link in our bio.
Last Thursday the Claremont Police Commission held their first meeting since the homicide of Diego Rios. Claremont community members — including many 5C students — spoke out during public comment seeking accountability and reform from the city. 

The Commission did not respond to demands or suggestions from speakers throughout the meeting.

“I was really disheartened by [the Commission’s] choice to not respond to the many, many comments of concern, of smart suggestions for steps forward made by community members and to instead continue with business as normal,” attendee Clare Reimers-Hejnal SC ’26 said.

Words by Quinn Bolster | Photo by Maggie Zhang
Read the full story at the link in our bio.
•
Follow
Last Thursday the Claremont Police Commission held their first meeting since the homicide of Diego Rios. Claremont community members — including many 5C students — spoke out during public comment seeking accountability and reform from the city. The Commission did not respond to demands or suggestions from speakers throughout the meeting. “I was really disheartened by [the Commission’s] choice to not respond to the many, many comments of concern, of smart suggestions for steps forward made by community members and to instead continue with business as normal,” attendee Clare Reimers-Hejnal SC ’26 said. Words by Quinn Bolster | Photo by Maggie Zhang Read the full story at the link in our bio.
2 days ago
View on Instagram |
4/9
Over spring break, the 5C Ski and Snowboard Team brought home two trophies from the U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard National Championships that took place at Lake Placid, New York. On March 19, the women’s team placed first in slopestyle, and on March 21, they earned third overall for freeski.
“Our women’s freestyle team always has success every year because they really push themselves and they do great,” captain Asher Wolf PZ ’28 said. “Lanie Pidwell [PZ ’27] has been doing great; she’s one of our best freestyle athletes, and she got fifth overall at nationals for freestyle. She did a backflip in big air, which is crazy.”
As a West Coast team, entirely student-run, traveling to New York for nationals posed a number of difficulties, from booking flights to adapting to new snow styles. It is the constant adaptation and malleability required that make skiing such a joy for captain Will Sedo HM ’26.
“One of the things that keeps ski racing so interesting, in my mind, is that every day is a new condition on the hill,” Sedo said. “Every single day and every single hour you’re out there, it changes a little bit, and you have new conditions to have to respond to almost simultaneously as you’re racing down the hill. That’s what makes it such an intellectually interesting sport for me.”

Words by Anne Reardon | Photo courtesy of Claremont Ski & Snowboard Team
Read the full story at the link in our bio.
Over spring break, the 5C Ski and Snowboard Team brought home two trophies from the U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard National Championships that took place at Lake Placid, New York. On March 19, the women’s team placed first in slopestyle, and on March 21, they earned third overall for freeski.
“Our women’s freestyle team always has success every year because they really push themselves and they do great,” captain Asher Wolf PZ ’28 said. “Lanie Pidwell [PZ ’27] has been doing great; she’s one of our best freestyle athletes, and she got fifth overall at nationals for freestyle. She did a backflip in big air, which is crazy.”
As a West Coast team, entirely student-run, traveling to New York for nationals posed a number of difficulties, from booking flights to adapting to new snow styles. It is the constant adaptation and malleability required that make skiing such a joy for captain Will Sedo HM ’26.
“One of the things that keeps ski racing so interesting, in my mind, is that every day is a new condition on the hill,” Sedo said. “Every single day and every single hour you’re out there, it changes a little bit, and you have new conditions to have to respond to almost simultaneously as you’re racing down the hill. That’s what makes it such an intellectually interesting sport for me.”

Words by Anne Reardon | Photo courtesy of Claremont Ski & Snowboard Team
Read the full story at the link in our bio.
•
Follow
Over spring break, the 5C Ski and Snowboard Team brought home two trophies from the U.S. Collegiate Ski and Snowboard National Championships that took place at Lake Placid, New York. On March 19, the women’s team placed first in slopestyle, and on March 21, they earned third overall for freeski. “Our women’s freestyle team always has success every year because they really push themselves and they do great,” captain Asher Wolf PZ ’28 said. “Lanie Pidwell [PZ ’27] has been doing great; she’s one of our best freestyle athletes, and she got fifth overall at nationals for freestyle. She did a backflip in big air, which is crazy.” As a West Coast team, entirely student-run, traveling to New York for nationals posed a number of difficulties, from booking flights to adapting to new snow styles. It is the constant adaptation and malleability required that make skiing such a joy for captain Will Sedo HM ’26. “One of the things that keeps ski racing so interesting, in my mind, is that every day is a new condition on the hill,” Sedo said. “Every single day and every single hour you’re out there, it changes a little bit, and you have new conditions to have to respond to almost simultaneously as you’re racing down the hill. That’s what makes it such an intellectually interesting sport for me.” Words by Anne Reardon | Photo courtesy of Claremont Ski & Snowboard Team Read the full story at the link in our bio.
3 days ago
View on Instagram |
5/9
Exploring the Cold War and its effects now, Meiya Rollins PO ’29 reflects on the exhibition “Atomic Dragons” at the Pitzer Art Galleries. From her previous readings in her curation class, she was instantly tethered to Judtih Dancoff’s work. 

Judith Dancoff narrates her own experiences of her father working on the Manhattan Project with Oppenheimer. Rollins describes the letters between Dancoff’s father and Oppenheimer in the piece, “The Dancoff Factor,” where they are a “window into their relationship with each other and their work. It was work that slowly killed them, but quickly destroyed the lives of so many.” 

Rollins highlights, “Although this exhibition is coming to a close, its message should not.” She continues, “We should continue to listen to these stories, to understand them and not repeat previous mistakes that have rippled throughout generations.”

Words & graphic by Meiya Rollins | Read the full story at thw link in our bio.
Exploring the Cold War and its effects now, Meiya Rollins PO ’29 reflects on the exhibition “Atomic Dragons” at the Pitzer Art Galleries. From her previous readings in her curation class, she was instantly tethered to Judtih Dancoff’s work. 

Judith Dancoff narrates her own experiences of her father working on the Manhattan Project with Oppenheimer. Rollins describes the letters between Dancoff’s father and Oppenheimer in the piece, “The Dancoff Factor,” where they are a “window into their relationship with each other and their work. It was work that slowly killed them, but quickly destroyed the lives of so many.” 

Rollins highlights, “Although this exhibition is coming to a close, its message should not.” She continues, “We should continue to listen to these stories, to understand them and not repeat previous mistakes that have rippled throughout generations.”

Words & graphic by Meiya Rollins | Read the full story at thw link in our bio.
•
Follow
Exploring the Cold War and its effects now, Meiya Rollins PO ’29 reflects on the exhibition “Atomic Dragons” at the Pitzer Art Galleries. From her previous readings in her curation class, she was instantly tethered to Judtih Dancoff’s work. Judith Dancoff narrates her own experiences of her father working on the Manhattan Project with Oppenheimer. Rollins describes the letters between Dancoff’s father and Oppenheimer in the piece, “The Dancoff Factor,” where they are a “window into their relationship with each other and their work. It was work that slowly killed them, but quickly destroyed the lives of so many.” Rollins highlights, “Although this exhibition is coming to a close, its message should not.” She continues, “We should continue to listen to these stories, to understand them and not repeat previous mistakes that have rippled throughout generations.” Words & graphic by Meiya Rollins | Read the full story at thw link in our bio.
3 days ago
View on Instagram |
6/9
In a departure from the usual anime movie fare, Columnist Joon Kim PO ’26 blasts off into the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond as he takes a look at Illumination and Nintendo’s newest endeavor: the long-awaited sequel to the original “Super Mario Bros Movie” from 2023.

He appreciates the creative set pieces and various homages to the video games in “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” yet finds that the cavalcade of references ultimately distracts from the otherwise barebones plot.

“I am definitely not expecting anything Oscar-worthy from these movies myself, but I’d rather have the references complement a meaty plot than have one over the other.” Kim writes.

Words by Joon Kim | Visual by Alexandra Grunbaum
•
Follow
In a departure from the usual anime movie fare, Columnist Joon Kim PO ’26 blasts off into the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond as he takes a look at Illumination and Nintendo’s newest endeavor: the long-awaited sequel to the original “Super Mario Bros Movie” from 2023. He appreciates the creative set pieces and various homages to the video games in “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” yet finds that the cavalcade of references ultimately distracts from the otherwise barebones plot. “I am definitely not expecting anything Oscar-worthy from these movies myself, but I’d rather have the references complement a meaty plot than have one over the other.” Kim writes. Words by Joon Kim | Visual by Alexandra Grunbaum
4 days ago
View on Instagram |
7/9
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.

David Simionca CM ’30 said his decision to apply was instead driven by academic interests after encountering faculty research: “This somehow determined me to look more into Claremont McKenna College, ultimately ranking it as my first choice.”

Other incoming students described similar experiences, saying the option to apply without test scores shifted focus toward academics, extracurricular involvement and campus fit. College officials said that while test scores may return as a requirement at some institutions, admissions will continue to be evaluated through a broader, holistic process.

Words by Bianca Mirica | Graphic by Cassie Sundberg
•
Follow
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. David Simionca CM ’30 said his decision to apply was instead driven by academic interests after encountering faculty research: “This somehow determined me to look more into Claremont McKenna College, ultimately ranking it as my first choice.” Other incoming students described similar experiences, saying the option to apply without test scores shifted focus toward academics, extracurricular involvement and campus fit. College officials said that while test scores may return as a requirement at some institutions, admissions will continue to be evaluated through a broader, holistic process. Words by Bianca Mirica | Graphic by Cassie Sundberg
4 days ago
View on Instagram |
8/9
On Friday, April 10, at 11 a.m., around 30 students demonstrated outside Pomona College’s Frary dining hall, yelling, carrying cardboard placards, and banging on buckets. The Claremont Student Workers Alliance (CSWA) organized the protest, which aimed to get 5C students to stop eating in the dining hall and to demand that Rolando “Rolo” Araiza, the recently fired cook, be reinstated.

“We’ve made it clear through petitions and rallies and other actions across Pomona that we understand Rolo’s firing to be a case of union busting and we demand that he be brought back immediately,” Elias Pluecker PO ‘28, CSWA steering member, said. ”However, just showing up and doing petitions and rallies doesn’t actually put real pressure on the school, and what today does is [put] economic pressure on the institution by costing [the College] money.”

Pomona terminated Araiza — a prominent union leader within UNITE HERE local 11 — on Jan. 29, months before the new union contract negotiations were set to begin in June. Since then, CSWA has held rallies, created petitions and organized today’s boycott to draw attention to Araiza’s firing, which CSWA argues is an unjust action to weaken the union before contract negotiations.

Words by Bianca Mirica & Joelle Rudolf | Photo by Maggie Zhang
Read the full story at the link in our bio.
On Friday, April 10, at 11 a.m., around 30 students demonstrated outside Pomona College’s Frary dining hall, yelling, carrying cardboard placards, and banging on buckets. The Claremont Student Workers Alliance (CSWA) organized the protest, which aimed to get 5C students to stop eating in the dining hall and to demand that Rolando “Rolo” Araiza, the recently fired cook, be reinstated.

“We’ve made it clear through petitions and rallies and other actions across Pomona that we understand Rolo’s firing to be a case of union busting and we demand that he be brought back immediately,” Elias Pluecker PO ‘28, CSWA steering member, said. ”However, just showing up and doing petitions and rallies doesn’t actually put real pressure on the school, and what today does is [put] economic pressure on the institution by costing [the College] money.”

Pomona terminated Araiza — a prominent union leader within UNITE HERE local 11 — on Jan. 29, months before the new union contract negotiations were set to begin in June. Since then, CSWA has held rallies, created petitions and organized today’s boycott to draw attention to Araiza’s firing, which CSWA argues is an unjust action to weaken the union before contract negotiations.

Words by Bianca Mirica & Joelle Rudolf | Photo by Maggie Zhang
Read the full story at the link in our bio.
•
Follow
On Friday, April 10, at 11 a.m., around 30 students demonstrated outside Pomona College’s Frary dining hall, yelling, carrying cardboard placards, and banging on buckets. The Claremont Student Workers Alliance (CSWA) organized the protest, which aimed to get 5C students to stop eating in the dining hall and to demand that Rolando “Rolo” Araiza, the recently fired cook, be reinstated. “We’ve made it clear through petitions and rallies and other actions across Pomona that we understand Rolo’s firing to be a case of union busting and we demand that he be brought back immediately,” Elias Pluecker PO ‘28, CSWA steering member, said. ”However, just showing up and doing petitions and rallies doesn’t actually put real pressure on the school, and what today does is [put] economic pressure on the institution by costing [the College] money.” Pomona terminated Araiza — a prominent union leader within UNITE HERE local 11 — on Jan. 29, months before the new union contract negotiations were set to begin in June. Since then, CSWA has held rallies, created petitions and organized today’s boycott to draw attention to Araiza’s firing, which CSWA argues is an unjust action to weaken the union before contract negotiations. Words by Bianca Mirica & Joelle Rudolf | Photo by Maggie Zhang Read the full story at the link in our bio.
5 days ago
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9/9
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