The Japanese Prints class taught by Meher McAruther recently showcased a group of Japanese woodblock prints by artists Hishikawa Moronobu, Suzuki Harunobu, Torii Kiyonaga, and Katsushika Hokusai, dating from the Edo period (1615-1868 CE) in the Ella Strong Denison Library at Scripps College. The images depict moments from the lives of men and women during this period, intricately depicting everything from their clothing and expressions to the realities of life during this period. 

Because of the paper’s publication schedule, we were unable to feature the exhibit prior or during its run in Denison Library, but we were lucky enough to have a photographer capture elements of the exhibit before it left, so you can see some of the displayed art here.

Denison frequently features rare and special art, including student-created and -curated work, so keep an eye out for future exhibits. You can follow Denison on Facebook at http://on.fb.me/PPHNnR, and be sure to check out the Slocum Award student book collections coming up soon.

Where are you from? I’m from a tiny hick town in northern San Diego County.
Major: I’m a self-designed Public Health and Society major, with a focus on women’s and sexual health.
What’s your favorite thing about your major? My favorite thing about my major is the conversations I get to have with other students about sex and sexuality. I love that moment when they learn something new or feel validated, and I usually get to learn something new from them too.
What is your dream job? Why? My dream job would be to own a feminist sex shop/coffee shop. There will be vibrators and lattes galore and a lot of kickass discussions about how to have good and safe sex. I’m still working on the name — hit me up if you have any suggestions.
Who is the most influential person in your life and why? She doesn’t really count as a person, but my dog Kahlua is my rock. She’s a white Labrador who’s my best friend and #1 Little Spoon.
What will you look back on most fondly about your time at Scripps after graduation? It’s hard to answer this because I’m here right now trying to make the most of it, but I think what’ll be the most meaningful is all of the little (and big) moments that I’ve shared with the people that I love.
What was your favorite or most formative class? And you work for Health Education Outreach (HEO). Can you tell me a bit about that?
One of the classes I’ve taken that I value the most is “HIV/AIDS: Science, Society, and Service” with Professor Karl Haushalter at Harvey Mudd. It combined so many disciplines together into a learning environment that taught me about HIV/AIDS, systemic inequalities, healing, healthcare, and my own role in social justice work. It was such a cool experience and I recommend it to anyone that’s willing to put in the time and effort.
As for HEO, it’s been one of the most (if not the most) important experience that I’ve had here at Scripps. Through my role as a Peer Health Educator I discovered my passion for sex education and women’s health. I’ve become a total nerd about sex and sexuality because of the education we do at HEO, and I love it. I also know more about condoms than I ever, ever thought I would.
What advice do you have for current and future Scripps students? Get out of your room. Don’t worry if you don’t get the reading done. Create the community that you’d like to see. Trust yourself. Breathe.

Ever heard of H.R. 3404?
Most women haven’t, and that, my friends, is the problem.
H.R. 3404, formally known as the Breast Density and Mammography Reporting Act of 2013, would require doctors to inform a patient if they have dense breast tissue and recommend supplemental screening, and would break the silence on what advocates group call breast health’s “best-kept secret.”
Despite what we are often told, one of the most well-established predictors of breast cancer risk is having what is known as dense breast tissue. About 40 percent of breasted people have dense tissue, which means that their breasts are comprised of more fibrous and connective tissue rather than fat. That percentage is higher among younger people.
Problems arise when people start getting their recommended mammograms to screen for cancer. Dense tissue and tumors both show up white on mammograms, so mammograms cannot detect tumors in denser tissue. A breast MRI or an ultrasound is required to detect tumors in dense tissue.
However, many radiologists do not inform patients that they have dense tissue or that mammograms cannot detect tumors in dense tissue. Fourteen states have laws mandating that radiologists and doctors provide patients with this information, but since there is no federal requirement, many people are left in the dark, with very few doctors and radiologists informing women of their risk.
According to an article in the Wall Street Journal in 2011, an executive with the Radiological Society of Connecticut lobbied against her state’s bill to require informing patients because “it would increase costs and anxiety without much benefit,” a view which many similar lobbyists share.
However, advocacy groups such as Are You Dense?, which was founded by a cancer survivor whose stage 3c breast cancer was not detected by a mammogram, argue that people have a right to make informed decisions about their medical treatments and exams. A study commisseioned by Are You Dense? found that 93% of the respondents said that, “if informed of their dense breast tissue would elect for additional screening as a mammogram is compromised due to dense breast tissue—missing cancer at least 40% of the time.”
Insurance companies and radiologists sometimes cite cost as another factor in providing patients with information. While breast MRIs do cost significantly more than a mammogram—$716.83 compared to $81.35, according to the American College of Radiology—a breast ultrasound costs on average less than $20 more than a mammogram.
While H.R. 3404 has been referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce for right now, there are things those of us with breasts—and those of us who care about someone with breasts—can do to protect ourselves and those we care about.
1. Always, always, ALWAYS do your monthly self-exams. You can do them in the shower, in front of a mirror, and/or laying down in bed. Start by moving your fingers around the entire breast and armpit areas in circular motions. Do it with your arms at your side and with your arm raised above your head. In front of a mirror, make sure to check the appearance of your breasts. Note any changes in feel or appearance and get them checked out by a health care provider as soon as possible. EVERY MONTH. NO EXCEPTIONS.
2. Get regular mammograms when your doctor recommends them (usually around age 40), which can be free or at a discounted price through California’s Breast Cancer Early Detection Program. Planned Parenthood also offers some discounted breast exams and screening services.
3. Request a report from your referring doctor (Are You Dense? specifies that it should be generated by the radiologist rather than only a “form letter”).
4. If your report indicates that you have dense tissue, you can request additional screening. In some states, like Massachusetts, require insurance to cover ultrasounds if mammograms detect dense tissue, but everyone’s insurance is (unfortunately) different. There are a number of organizations that provide free or discounted breast ultrasounds though, since mammograms are a staple in breast cancer care, discounted ultrasounds can be harder to come by than mammograms.
Even though hundreds of thousands of American women will be diagnosed with cancer in 2014, many of them probably won’t be told that their dense breast tissue was a factor in a missed detection or in their increased risk of developing it. To us here at The Scripps Voice, it is unacceptable that specialists would rather spare patients the “anxiety” of having to do a second test than allow them to make their own choices and know what the radiologists are really looking at when they perform a mammogram on their bodies. We should be long past the days when some arbitrary person gets to decide whether a female-bodied person can “handle” certain information regarding their own health. Until that day comes, we will have to be our own advocates and advocates for one another.

The last few months have given me a lot to think about as the editor of this newspaper and as someone who considers herself an ally to marginalized communities here at Scripps and beyond. My (ongoing) journey of becoming an ally has been complicated. I didn’t come to Scripps an ally, and I don’t think I was anything close to a decent one until about a year ago. As a first year, I had multiple conversations with people about how I didn’t think the SCORE CLORGS were necessary because they were exclusionary—I won’t go into that story, because I wrote a whole column about it last year. I’ll provide a link to that at the end of this article.

In this column, I want to talk about some of the things I try to do as an ally. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a perfect ally and I’m still learning, so this list isn’t intended to be comprehensive. And while I try really hard to do all of these things all of the time, I fail (which I’ll go into later). Regardless of those limitations, I thought it would be important to write this column, especially as someone who had a pretty shitty track record when it comes to allyship until fairly recently, because I know I had a lot of misconceptions about what an ally’s role is and about what I was “supposed” to do in order to support marginalized communities in their efforts for justice and social change. Also, I’d like to note that this list is numbered for the sake of flow, not for the sake of importance—all the points are equally important and carry equal weight.

(TW: This article contains some information about my experience with mental illness, specifically depression, bipolar disorder, and suicidal thoughts.)

1. It’s not about you. You are not an ally because you want to feel good about yourself. You are not an ally so you can put it on your resume. You are not an ally so you can tell someone who calls you out on racism that you go to Café con Leche meetings so they don’t know what they’re talking about. You are not an ally to fight a well-intentioned but ill-informed crusade on behalf of someone else. You are an ally because if you are not, you are actively an oppressor.

2. That said, allyship is a process. Just because you’ve decided to be an ally doesn’t mean you’re going to be perfect at it. Like everything else, you’re going to have to learn how to do it. And when you’re learning a new thing, you’re going to make mistakes. And someone will call you out on it. Which is okay. Yes, you’ve just done or said something that’s perpetuating oppressive social norms, but you’re working on it. This is one of those areas in life that only fail if you quit.

3. Getting called out is not the worst thing to ever happen to you. When I got to Scripps, I was progressive enough to know that being racist was bad. If someone said you were being racist or marginalizing someone, that was really, really bad, and I when I would get called out, I would often get either really embarrassed (if I agreed with the person calling me out) or offended (if I didn’t). One misconception that I had about allyship was that it meant never, ever being racist, homophobic, transphobic, sexist, ableist, classist, ageist, and so on, which is totally impossible. We all agree that society perpetuates some pretty awful stuff, so chances are you’ve internalized some stuff that’s problematic and harmful to you and to others. Especially when you’re first starting out, there’s going to be a lot you don’t know. Getting called out is an opportunity for you to learn how to be a better ally. In order for this to work, though, you have to be willing to think critically about your behavior—whatever you just got called out for, as well as past and present behavior. You’re making progress as an ally when you make better choices after getting called out. Allies who are willing to get called out and improve their behavior are really important. 

4. Don’t wait until someone calls you out to adjust your behavior. While the calling-out process is important and should be taken seriously, you cannot and should not assume that people are always going to want to call you out. We all have a lot of stuff on our minds and our schedules, and calling someone out can be exhausting and annoying, especially when we have to do it all the time. Moreover, people might be triggered by what you say—I didn’t really understand this until I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder last semester. I was really, really depressed for quite a while, to the point of having thoughts of killing myself. Hearing people say insensitive and derogatory things offhand about depression, bipolar disorder, and suicide can be triggering for me if I’m having a low day. What you say could be so hurtful that it will trigger deeper depression, which leaves me to pick up the pieces. In those situations, I’m hardly in the mood to call you out. I’ve come to understand how important it is to do a couple of things to make sure I don’t do the same thing to other people. They are…

5. Educate yourself. This is one of your primary jobs as an ally. I cannot stress this enough. A big part of social justice and activist movements is education. There is infinite information about all these topics all over the library and internet. Do your research. Figure out who the prominent writers and speakers on these topics are. Read and listen to their stuff. Take more than one class on these topics if you can. It’s really easy to incorporate ally work into your everyday routine. You probably already spend a bunch of time on social media, so use that to do some work. Read the links your friends post about these topics. There’s tons of great blogs on Tumblr that you can follow—there’s everything from really long posts to gifs and graphics that are informational. Don’t forget that, even though I’m referring to marginalized groups as a singular force, and even though groups often do common work, they are not a monolith in their ideas or practices. Ideas and opinions are individualistic, and communities are frequently critiquing themselves in their work. Remember, too, that learning about these things is not an academic exercise, and it doesn’t pass for lived experiences in these areas. 

6. Listen, and speak up when you have to. This is another really, really important thing about being an ally. Part of allyship is using your privilege to advocate for people when their voices are silent. I’m a person with a ton of privilege, so when, for example, I’m in a room full of other privileged people and no representation for marginalized communities, or where marginalized people in attendance are explicitly and implicitly silenced, it’s my job to speak up and advocate for their right to be heard. But it is NOT my job to speak over someone. So if, say, transwomen are being shut out of a conversation, I need to speak up and advocate for their inclusion. But if there’s a transwoman in the room, I sure as hell better let her speak and dictate how issues that affect her are going to be addressed. I’m doing nothing if I’m advocating for someone’s inclusion but silencing them in the process.

7. Marginalized people get to decide how to do their work. This was a huge lesson for me as someone who was against the SCORE CLORGS my freshman year. What I came to realize is that when I would say things against them, I was basically saying that I, a white woman, should get to decide whether Wanawake Weusi is good for black women. It sounds pretty dumb when I put it that way, huh? So this means that allies don’t get to dictate how things get done, and they probably shouldn’t propose solutions to problems that arise. They need to listen to what communities are advocating for, and then join them in fighting for those solutions. The difference is between saying to a marginalized person “Why don’t you do x?” or “You could do x so that y.” and saying “How can I help you reach the goals of your CLORG/organization/movement? What can I do?” Only offer suggestions when asked, or if you have knowledge of some administrative or logistical process the group is trying to navigate (and if they’re advocating against that process, work to help them change it). I’m someone who loves being a leader and finding solutions to problems, so this is one I especially struggle with. But the best thing a leader can do is ask how they can be a better ally, not make decisions about what should happen on their own.

8. Recognize your limitations. This summer, I worked at a summer camp for black kids of all socioeconomic classes in the greater D.C. area. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done—the kids were brilliant, but I really struggled to work with them. That experience made me realize, first, that I still have a lot of internalized stuff I need to work through, and second, that I am not a person who should be in front of a classroom of black kids. It was a hard thing to come to terms with as someone who considers herself an okay ally at a place that, for the most part, advocates for its students to do work like this (e.g. applying to Teach for America). From that experience I realized that there are better ways to use my privilege to help people, and I’m still trying to decide how best to do that. Using the newspaper as a tool of allyship has, I think, been a better use of my privilege, because I’m providing a platform for members of marginalized communities and working to make the paper a safe space for them, but I’m not using the paper to tell them what to do (I hope).

9. Know that your intentions are usually irrelevant. If you’ve said or done something that is hurtful or marginalizing, the worst thing you can do is try to defend yourself. This forces the person you’re talking to not only put in the hard work of calling you out, but also of arguing about a topic that is deeply related to their personal, lived experiences, when it’s not related to yours. This is important especially when your intentions are good—you’re not a bad person, you just need to adjust your intentions. In my experience, one of the best things you can do is apologize, and, if you’re confused, see if the person is willing to explain why what you said is problematic. If they’re not, consult someone else who you know is willing, or use your plethora of text and media resources to figure out what went wrong.

10. Make spaces safe. Always assume there’s someone in the room who could be hurt or seriously triggered by what you say and do. Some people are very private about what goes on in their lives, so anything that could be hurtful should never be said. Period. Even if the person you’re talking to knows what you mean, someone listening to you might not and they could be seriously hurt or triggered. Someone should feel equally safe in SCORE, in the Field House, in their room, in the dining hall, and in the Motley. Everyone in every single one of those spaces should be an ally working to make those spaces safe and also working to support the work that people are trying to do. Remember, it’s important to educate yourself and make sure you’re supporting people, rather than deciding how to make a space safe without any word from the groups in question.

11. You don’t get to decide when you’re going to be an ally. It might not always be cool, advantageous, or easy to be an ally. Because you’re supporting people that society works to actively oppress, marginalize, and silence, your work will not be easy, especially when you have to go to bat for these communities (remember number 6). But as a person of privilege, you do not get to decide when you’re going to speak up. There will be backlash. People will say you’re wrong to do what you’re doing. People will say you’re a killjoy or that you need to pick your battles when you challenge them every time they say something shitty—when people tell me I need to pick my battles, I like to say, “Okay. I pick all of them.” Not everyone will like you. There is no halfway when you’re an ally. And, by the way, if your friends aren’t supporting you in your allyship, you need to ditch them. They’re going to suck your energy away from the work you’re doing. 

12. Guilt is the worst response ever. Do not feel guilty when you mess up. Do not. It’s a waste of your energy to feel bad about what you’ve said or done that’s not good. Absolutely be reflective about what you say and do, and let that reflection guide your decisions in the future. But do not feel guilty. It detracts from your energy to do your ally work—if anything, let your mistakes inspire you to work harder.

13. Take care of yourself and each other. I’ll be the first to admit that allyship is difficult. Remember when I said allyship isn’t about you? Well, you also need to take care of yourself—you can’t help anyone if you’re a wreck. There will be times you need to feel bad about something that happened. There will be times you need to vent about the difficulties with being an ally. But don’t rely on the communities that you’re allying to deal with your issues—that’s detracting from the work they’re doing, when it’s your job to support it. While ally training is often something groups dedicate time to, it’s often one very small part of the work they do. Help them with that work by helping each other.

14. Don’t get discouraged. As you learn about the issues that are out there that groups are trying to fight, you’re going to feel like literally everything is a problem and there is no hope for society. My parents worry a lot that I’m only feeding my depression by thinking so much about all the wrongs out there. But the truth is, you have to have an almost stupid amount of optimism to do this work. You have to sincerely believe that the work you’re doing is going to affect change, even when you don’t see that change occurring. Remember that social justice groups don’t just sit around making lists of all their problems—they almost always propose concrete solutions to the problems they identify. Keep those solutions at the forefront of your mind, and you won’t feel so overwhelmed.

I know this has been intense, and if you’re just beginning your journey as an ally, it can all seem really daunting. But making this transition is the same as any other you have to make in your life—it gets easier the more you do it. If you want to learn a little more about my journey from non-ally to ally, you can find that story here: http://goo.gl/yz7sDI. I wrote this in response to an article that a CMC student wrote last year about why she disagrees with the existence of women’s colleges.

Kandy Salas and Denise Hayes, finalists for the Dean of Students/Vice President of Student Affairs position at Scripps, met with students and senior staff recently to talk about their experiences and what they would plan to do as a Dean and senior administrator at Scripps. Here is a quick and easy summary of their qualifications, goals, and responses to student questions

Kandy Salas

Her background: Salas is currently a lecturer at California State University, Fullerton, where she has worked for 24 years, first as the Officer of Student Life and eventually working her way up to the Dean of Students and the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs. She is a first generation college student who earned her bachelor’s in English and minor in women’s studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, her master’s in counseling and human development with a specialization in student personnel services at Minnesota State University, Moorhead, and her Ph.D. in education from Claremont Graduate University. Salas has varied experience working with student leaders and student clubs and organizations, as well as running student orientations and working with undocumented students. She also has experience working with advocacy for survivors of sexual assault, from Title IX work to work in first-responder situations.

Her goals as DOS/VPSA:

Salas said that she received consistent advice from the senior staff when she met with them. She gathered, she said, that the team is still healing from Dean Bekki Lee’s passing and that working with the senior officers as a group will be particularly important.

She also said that she felt that Scripps is in transition as it attempts to realize its goals at diversity and inclusivity. She said that she wants Scripps to go beyond merely diversity, but to push for cultural competence, which deals with issues of inclusion to work on big picture diversity on campus. She said that it cannot only be groups and people who are historically “new” to college campuses who are having these conversations—it must constantly be a campus-wide discussion. She said that reaching a critical mass is only the beginning, and after that is when the difficult work begins. She said, however, that she is passionate about and dedicated to this work.

She also said that part of her work as Scripps’ DOS/VPSA would include getting to know students very well, particularly student leaders. She said that when issues arose, she wanted to help students learn how to address problems that arise, rather than merely solving problems on their behalf.

Her responses to student questions:

Students’ questions at the evening event on March 26 ranged from her working styles to the direction she’d like to take with the department if hired. She said that when it comes to her colleagues, she feels she works best with people who are willing to listen and compromise. Regarding students, she said that she is first and foremost an educator, so her ultimate goal is to make sure that students are learning, but that she also feels it’s important for students’ ideas to be heard and implemented. When it comes to heated and difficult discussions, she said she’s learned to have those conversations but be able to walk away and feel peace about the exchange.

Salas followed up on students’ questions with a question of her own, asking students for advice regarding what they would like to see on campus. Students said that the senior staff and the DOS/SARLO offices could be more cohesive, and that it would be important for the department to work with students and put students’ concerns and needs ahead of bureaucratic concerns. They also said that concerns need to be addressed with concrete and transparent action—that students should always know what action is being taken and how it is being implemented. Students also said that DOS should be proactive about inserting itself into spaces other than its own office to increase transparency and availability to students.

Denise Hayes

Her background:

Hayes has worked for the Claremont University Consortium (CUC) as its director of student health and counseling for nine years. She is a counseling psychologist who has also done work in organizational communications and leadership and management, which made her well-suited for a director position at CUC. She is currently teaching a course at CGU; Hayes said she felt compelled to get back into the classroom and to apply for the DOS/VPSA position at Scripps because she misses working with students directly. Hayes said she applied to work at Scripps because her older sister and daughter both attended women’s colleges, and that they gained so much confidence during their years there.

Hayes has also written scholarship and done work on women’s leadership, and black women’s leadership in particular. Her dissertation was on single mothers that are currently in schools; Hayes herself was a divorced mother with young children when she went back for her master’s degree. She worked to apply existing theories regarding leadership to the experiences of black women who are leaders in higher education. For example, some theories suggest that success does not come from hard work alone, but comes from willingness to take risks, from the ability to energize oneself during stressful and trying times, and from developing relationships with mentors and superiors who will put their credibility on the line to put in a word for you. She said that these theories are often applied across the board, but that African American women had never been asked about whether it applies to them. Her interest and research with women’s professional development and leadership informed her choice to apply to work at Scripps.

Her goals as DOS/VPSA:

Hayes said that a goal for her as DOS/VSPA would be to strengthen the community between faculty affairs and student affairs to create a stronger community to better support students. She also said that she thinks student affairs play a bigger role in leadership development, diversity discussion, mentoring and coaching, and programming, rather than only a space to go during crises. She said that she understood that Dean Lee, who passed away suddenly last fall, was getting a strategic plan started, and that Nathalie Rachlin, interim vice president of student affairs, is continuing that work, and that she, Hayes, hopes to solidify a plan. She said such a plan would create a consistent message coming from student affairs that it was a place that was very student-oriented, and that the student affairs staff could become closer to students, in such away, said Hayes, that they could provide references and career- and life-related mentoring.

Hayes said that though much of her research has focused on African American women, as a DOS she would be there for all women at Scripps.

Her responses to student questions:

Hayes said that in her interactions with students at the CUC, her style is to give students whatever facts she can disclose about a situation, and to share whatever realities (e.g. regarding the budget or other processes) candidly with students so that it’s always very clear where she’s coming from. For example, she said, some people have asked her whether she would look into hiring a counselor who would work exclusively at Scripps to supplement mental health care available at Monsour. She responded that if something is added to the budget, something else has to be taken away, and that would have to be worked out accordingly.

In response to a question about her working style, she said she prefers working with relationship-oriented people who are open to transparent conversation, but acknowledged that every office needs detail-oriented, “number crunching” people.

When asked how long she planned to stay at Scripps, she said probably five to seven years, or until she retires.

When a student asked to know more about her prospective direction for the office, Hayes reiterated that she wants to strengthen the relationship between academic affairs and student affairs. She said that faculty are often the most valued, respected members of an institution because they are so close to students—in the way doctors are the most respected people at a hospital, Hayes said. But she wants her staff to also feel valued, and be able to better articulate how helpful they are to students in order to expand students’ perceptions of what a student affairs office is and what it can offer. Hayes said she also wants to build her staff’s ability to support each other, and to develop a strategic plan with a clearer direction and work on branding the student affairs office as a place that can support students in a broader way.

Hayes said, that in a perfect world in which she had unlimited funds, she would love to create a living-learning environment, perhaps incorporating faculty into the existing language halls, but also create themed housing if locations became available. Realistically, she said, she would focus on ensuring that existing technology is up to date, and figure out what resources could be reallocated elsewhere. She said that ultimately, her goal would be to make Scripps’ student affairs to be somewhere other colleges would look up to.

She also added that she understood that Dean Lee’s open hours were well received by students, and would likely seek to continue such a program. Furthermore, she emphasized that everyone’s voices need to be heard, noting that faculty sometimes have a liberty of speech that administrators do not, and that students who don’t feel as strongly about diversity also need a place to talk about it. Hayes emphasized that she wanted to be proactive so that things would never get to the point where students have to protest, even though student protest can be very healthy.

A student noted that student affairs staff often wear many hats and can’t always address students’ needs adequately because of their myriad duties, and queried how Hayes would address this problem. Hayes responded that she would work on strategic planning and prioritize by identifying DOS/SA’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT). Based on what she’d seen, she suggested that the office’s strong point was its commitment to students and student affairs, while a present weakness was the instability of transitions in leadership. She felt that a big opportunity was that to strengthen the relationship between academic and student affairs. A threat, she said, was the problem of sexual assault on the campuses affects Scripps disproportionately. She also noted that the rising cost of education is a threat, and hopes that increasing Scripps’ endowment will enable more students to come to Scripps.

Hayes said the first thing she would do if hired was to get to know her staff, and then hold open forums to get to know students, and would answer whatever questions she knew the answers to. She would also hope to spend very little time in her office, instead meeting with groups around campus, eating in Malott, getting to know SAS, and attending any student meetings she’s invited to. She also envisions hosting get-togethers with students at the DOS house if she is chosen for the position.

Hayes was also asked about her hobbies outside of her work in student affairs, and she mentioned a love for pilates, walking, and trying new things (she recently went kayaking for the first time, tried introductory ballet, and braved a fear of roller coasters).

Students also asked what she thought it meant for a women’s college to honor all expressions of femininity. In order to answer such a question, the college needs to think critically about its identity and its history and legacy as a women’s college, including, perhaps, honoring the philosophy of single-gender education, she replied.

A student asked whether transwomen ought to be included in what it means to honor all expressions of femininity at Scripps. Hayes said that she wasn’t sure and didn’t want to make a decision on her own, and reiterated her point that answering such a question would require conversations about Scripps’ identity and mission as a women’s college, and how a women’s college should determine what is a woman and what is female.

Responding to a question about whether she thought there are additional difficulties when working at a women’s college versus a coed school, Hayes said that she couldn’t think of any. She said there are differences and similarities between the two types of institutions, but that there aren’t any difficulties inherent in working at a women’s college.

She also noted that, when it comes to implementing new policy or programs, the need should come from students, rather than from the top down. She stated that she intends to provide training and professional development for her staff so that students will feel safe around all of them. Administrators need to be available, because it is better for students to come to the administrators with concerns, so that students can bring their issues forward and the administration does not have to go to students wondering if something is a problem. She also emphasized that diversity should not be only a topic of generic discussion—for example, not merely having a forum of which diversity is the focus, but making it a part of her conversations with students consistently.

Finalists’ resumes can be viewed on the Scripps portal under the “Student” tab on the far right side of the page. 

The Scripps Voice is excited to announce that we will be the first Claremont publication to incorporate video blogs (“vlogs”) and broadcast news into our regular content in print and online.
Led by our new video producer, Laurel Schwartz ‘15, we will feature regular vlog contributors and coverage of other news events. We are currently searching for regular vloggers and anyone interested in working with us on this new endeavor are welcome to apply. Application information can be found on our website.
We are also thrilled to announce that we will be submitting our publication to the Columbia Scholastic Press Association (CSPA) for the upcoming school year. Submitting to CSPA will will solidify Scripps’ reputation as a competitive liberal arts college, and will showcase the work of all The Scripps Voice’s writers, photographers, editors, managers, and, now, video producers on a national level. The submission deadline comes in the summer, so we will have updates on that front more next fall.
As always, we continue to recruit new writers and photographers. We are frequently asked if we accept guest columns or articles; we are always open to articles, columns, letters-to-the-editor, photos, and artwork from anyone in the Scripps community. While we do print anonymous pieces, we (the editors-in-chief) do need to know who the author is. We will keep anyone’s identity a secret in print, but the only way we can advocate for and stand behind our paper is if we can verify the content that goes into it. Please let us know if you have any concerns or questions.
We accept staff contributor (writer, photographer, vlogger, etc.) applications from all 5Cs.
As always, our website is voice.scrippscollege.edu, and we can be reached by email at .

To the Scripps community, from the bottom of my heart:

Thank you.

This year has been a wild ride for all of us, but it’s hard to believe it’s already coming to a close. This has been a fantastic year for the newspaper, and I write these words for the final issue with both sadness that this is it for Volume 17 of The Scripps Voice but also with excitement for what is to come.
But first, I have to say thank you to all the people without whom the paper would not exist.
Thank you to every single one of our writers and photographers who have filled these pages, and to the guest contributors who have graciously given us their words and ideas. This paper is only a voice for Scripps students if Scripps students make it so.
Thank you to the editorial staff: Elizabeth Lee, Ashley Minnis-Lemley, Jessica Lin, Elena Pinsker, and Alex Vallas (and Selene Hsu too!) for putting up with me on layout nights, and for putting the newspaper together with grace and speed. We tried to come up with a good word to describe Alex, but she is beyond description. Safe to say, we will miss her next year as she departs to complete the rest of her 3-2 engineering degree.
Thank you to Lily Comba and Rosario Bennett, our business managers who brought in the most ad revenue we’ve ever had.
Thanks to web managers Sophie Saouma and Emily Morris. Best of luck as you graduate.
Thank you to Sam Haynes, our advisor, for sticking with us through a very challenging year for him, for always advocating for us, and for always reassuring us that we were doing good work.
A million thank-yous to Aidan Harley. She did more work than was her fair share, and she gave everything she had to this publication. I don’t know how I’ve done these last few issues without her — without her powerful leadership, her incredible writing, and her loving friendship. I wish you all the best in your future adventures.
Thank you to President Bettison-Varga for sending this paper to a conference at the New York Times in March. Expect to see some innovation as a result of that conference starting next semester.
Finally, thank you so much, Scripps, for the opportunity to lead your paper, and for supporting Aidan and me throughout this process. So many of you have told us that we’ve done well, and, trust us, we always really needed to hear it.
Leading this publication has been one of the most exciting, most frustrating, most enlightening, and most empowering things that I have ever done. There were days when I wanted to rip my hair out because of this newspaper and there were days when it was the only thing for which I was willing to get out of bed. I will not serve as an editor-in-chief next year, but I will always cherish this experience.
I am excited to announce next year’s editors-in-chief. Elena Pinsker ’17 is a math major with four years (and counting) of design and journalistic writing training under her belt. As a design editor this year, she has loved putting her hobby of fooling around on InDesign to good use. A Silicon Valley native, Elena can otherwise be found at Whole Foods looking for organic dino kale or ranting to somebody about FC Barcelona’s current lack of defense.
Lucy Altman-Newell ’17 is currently a staff writer, and has enjoyed writing since she learned the alphabet, and became involved with journalism in early 2010. She wrote for her high school paper for four years, eventually becoming Editor-in-Chief there. She also founded an online literary magazine for her community, and has won awards for creative writing. In Claremont, she writes for The Scripps Voice and [in]VISIBLE. In her spare time, Lucy loves hiking, rock climbing, and spending time outdoors.
Thank you again, Scripps, for this amazing year. See you around!

Love always, 

Megan