California State Senator Sasha Renée Pérez joined Pitzer College on Wednesday to host a ‘Town Hall on Civil Liberties and Freedom of Speech.’ Several students attended the town hall, a public meeting designed for local government officials to both inform and speak with local community members, which included a panel discussion and an audience Q&A session.
Pérez, who represents Claremont alongside the rest of District 25, moderated a panel consisting of five community members who are passionate about civil liberties, including 5C professors and civil liberty advocacy groups. The discussion spanned immigration laws, data privacy, surveillance technology, education and a call to action for college students.
Tag: Politics
‘Go vote:’ 5C community gears up for Nov. 3 midterms
Students across the 5Cs have been gearing up for the midterm elections on Nov. 3, campaigning for local politicians, providing assistance with voter registration and staying engaged in elections from Claremont to Congress.
This semester, 5C Democrats ran three to five events each week, professors are incorporating conversations regarding the upcoming election into classes and nonpartisan clubs such as Every Vote Counts (EVC) Claremont have been tabling outside dining halls recently. Despite much of College Republicans’ leadership being abroad this fall, acting President Shiv Parihar CM ’28 stressed the importance of voting in every election.
OPINION: A presidential hit job: Latinos aren’t scared of you, Trump
On October 5, 2026, Donald Trump put a hit on Los Angeles and San Diego. Elena Gutierrez PZ ’27 is a Mexican American who knows exactly what he means. Trump’s statement comes as ICE raids spike in specific Southern California cities, and Gutierrez writes that those trends, backed by his track record of anti-Latino sentiment and policy, are deliberately intentional.
OPINION: Let’s talk about politics (again)
Makayla Tracy PZ ’30 argues that amid the 5Cs’ culture of deep political engagement, choosing to stay neutral in some political conversations should always be justified. Without the ability to step back from often-heated political discourse, one can fall into the trap of taking a side before having time to form a nuanced thought.
OPINION: One man’s ‘deadly comedy’ is another’s ‘virtuous terror’
Akshay Seetharam HM ’27 responds to a prior TSL opinion piece arguing against memeification by claiming that mockeries are a vital and enduring part of liberal democracy.
OPINION: Memetic warfare — when comedy gets deadly
The Claremont Colleges were placed at the center of scrutiny as a conservative X account condemned jokes posted in light of the first anniversary of the death of Republican political pundit Charlie Kirk on Fizz. Calli Taffel SC ’30 argues that regardless of political substance or leaning, joking about severe political outcomes such as death and war can lead to desensitization and apathy, a consequence of memetic warfare.
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.
OPINION: Nationalist advertisement is the new plague in American politics
The “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” has passed, rushing through the House and Senate on the back of a Republican majority — not on the merits of its policy. Following the discussion among elected officials in early July, the Republican party is straying from their mission to protect the American people and instead relying on marketing to present its agenda as the solution to American malaise. Celeste Cariker PZ ‘28 campaigns for a return to truth in American politics, demanding for policy solutions in the face of shiny marketing from the Republican party.
Claremont Mosaic: Blending the personal and political: Professor Sean Diament’s journey from homelessness and addiction to higher education
Politics professor Sean Diament tells his story of his journey to higher education, from overcoming homelessness and drug addiction to finding his passion for teaching.
OPINION: Contemporary art must put individual before identity
As contemporary art shifts its focus from form to identity, does it still challenge the viewer, or has it become a closed loop of self-referential politics? Elias Diwan PO ’25 argues that contemporary art’s fixation on representation has turned inclusion into a substitute for communication, sidelining quality and meaningful engagement with the work itself.