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As of July 1, 2019, Professor Emily Wiley will take on the role of Associate Dean of the Faculty for the curriculum previously held by Professor Lee Skinner. As a Professor of Biology at the Keck Science Department since joining in 2002, Wiley has taught a wide range of introductory through advanced courses in areas related to molecular biology, including interdisciplinary team-taught courses in Biology-Chemistry, previously Biology-Chemistry-Physics, and non-major courses in biotechnology and genetic engineering. As part of her involvement in Keck, Wiley leads a multi-institution consortium where hundreds of students collaborate each year in research with faculty to understand functions of genes and advance larger research priorities for various communities. “I enjoy mentoring many students in my molecular research program focused on understanding how gene expression is controlled, and my students regularly co-author publications and present their research at conferences,” said Wiley. “I enjoy bringing that work into my classrooms for Keck students to engage.” Over her 17 years at Keck, Wiley has also administratively served on most of the department’s internal committees, such as promotion/tenure, executive committee, faculty search committees, and as convener of biology. In these various roles, Wiley has promoted high impact student learning experiences such as early exposure to research, and teacher-scholar faculty models that facilitate integration of teaching and research. Wiley has brought aspects of research programs into courses so that more students can experience the excitement of making new discoveries and create authentic contribution to a larger research effort. In her new role as Associate Dean of the Faculty at CMC, Wiley will primarily be involved in curricular matters and oversight. This will entail a rich array of activities: regular meetings with faculty on the Curriculum Committee; overseeing academic advising; and working on new faculty and student orientations, student and faculty fellowships, Diversity Committee, and 7C committees that impact faculty teaching support and professional development. Find out more about Wiley and her new role as Associate Dean of the Faculty below. AC: What motivated you to take on this position? EW: One of the things I love most about my job as a faculty member is the creativity involved in presenting students with new opportunities to stretch and grow in different ways, to discover what they are interested in and capable of achieving. I see numerous exciting possibilities for this kind of work, now at a different level, in a position focused on many different aspects of college curriculum, and I hope to contribute to the college in these ways. I also care deeply about the quality and success of natural science programs at our institutions. I thought my experience could help CMC implement a new science over the next few years, one that would also be synergistic with the Keck program. I see strong potential for bridging the programs in creative ways that would benefit both students and faculty with new opportunities, and I am energized by the challenge of trying to making that happen. I am also curious about about the organization and "inner workings" of an academic institution, something I will enjoy learning. I imagine it’s a lot like a cell - we’ll see! At this stage in my career I welcome the set of new challenges and chance to grow new skill sets from this role, to gain different perspectives and insights into academia. A: You have been a very integral part of the Keck Science Department as the biology convener for four years, a professor of biology, and a member of several department committees. How do you think your experience with Keck over the years will help you serve in your new role? EW: This is a tough question, as I do not yet know exactly what this new role will demand, aside from some knowledge and experience as a scientist. Certainly through my committee work at Keck I have learned how important it is to hear the views of all stakeholders and I keep learning more about how to encourage different voices. I anticipate that this will be relevant to helping the college in a variety of curricular matters to capture and integrate variety of viewpoints. A: What contributions do you hope to make as Associate Dean of the Faculty? What are you looking forward to accomplishing in this role? EW: I’m strongly motivated by finding synergisms between seemingly unrelated individuals or groups. It’s a way of innovating that is immensely satisfying to me: bringing people together in new ways to collaborate and create things that benefit everyone involved. I hope that I can bring my experience to create new opportunities for CMC students and faculty to collaborate within and across disciplines to innovate in different ways or address issues related to global challenges. I hope to help build a broadly inclusive, forward-looking science program that integrates with the community, culture, and aspirations of CMC, and that bridges with the Pitzer/Scripps program to expand opportunities for all students through program collaboration. Besides helping to keep things running at the level they do at the college, in general I hope that I can help bring the different expertise and talents of the faculty together in new ways that they, and students, will find rewarding. A: Is there anything else you would like to communicate to the general public? EW: I consider it an honor to be asked to serve the college as an Associate Dean, especially following the footsteps of Lee Skinner who has accomplished so much for the college over her last six years in this position. Her work on issues such diversity and inclusion, writing, academic advising, and professional development have advanced the academic life here in critical ways. I will be happy if I can come even close to having the same kind of impact.

The following email was sent to the CMC community around noon Tuesday, February 19. RE: VERY SAD NEWS “Dear Students, Faculty, and Staff: We are very sad to inform you of the death of our student, Jeremy Peterson. Jeremy was found dead in his room early this morning. We are in contact with Jeremy’s family and have conveyed our deepest condolences on behalf of the CMC community. We will continue to support the Peterson family in every way. We also want to assure members of our campus community that we are here to support you. Please reach out to the many people here at CMC available to listen and support you including staff in the Dean of Students Office, RAs, First Year Guides, and the many more faculty, administrators, and coaches you know so well. If you would like to speak with someone today, counselors are in the CARE Center until 8 p.m. Chaplains will be in Heggblade until 5 p.m. The Chaplains Office in McAlister will be open this evening until 9 p.m. Tomorrow, counselors will also be in the CARE Center from 11 a.m.. to 8 p.m. Students may also call 909 621-8202 to speak to an on-call therapist after hours. Staff may call the Employee Assistance Program at 800 234-5465 for 24-hour support. We mourn our dear student and friend Jeremy. We must all be here for each other. Take care and all best, Hiram, Sharon, and DT” Director of CARE Center Vince Greer also sent an email at 3pm inviting students to gather for remembrance this evening. “From 6-8:00pm in Phillips Lounge there will be pizza and a chance to gather, be in community and solidarity with fellow CMCers,” he wrote. According to the The Student Life, Peterson entered with the class of 2018 and was taking classes at CMC. The Forum offers our deepest condolences.

ASCMC officially kicked off the first ever “Affinity for Love” Week on Sunday. Affinity clubs on campus collaborated to create a week celebrating love and inclusivity, including Black Students Association, QuestBridge, Asian Pacific American Mentoring Program, ¡Mi Gente! and 1 Gen. Salomé Lefort ‘21, ASCMC Diversity Inclusion Chair, spearheaded the effort with unused funds from a Kravis Lab retreat last semester for affinity groups. Lefort said she had been wanting to create an event that involved all the Affinity Groups, and this was the perfect opportunity. “My tenure has been difficult with all the transitions ASCMC has been going through, I just had a hard time finding programming, and I wanted to find one goal I could follow, which was bringing all the affinity groups together,” Lefort said. “Having them work together and collaborate would create a better community on our campus and a better community within themselves instead of doing their own things on the side.” The team was careful when planning to avoid midterms and the mounting pressure that builds towards the end of a semester. The tie-in to Valentine’s Day was natural, making the week all about loving everyone. “It’s a really cute, inclusive idea,” Lefort said. “It’s all about love and loving our community.” Each day an affinity group hosts an event. The week culminates with the the Love Day Soiree on Thursday night and a Carnival on Friday, which all the Affinity Groups worked on together. “All of the affinity groups have done really amazing work, really put in the time and effort for this event,” Lefort said. Lefort encouraged students to attend these events to show support for the Affinity groups. “It can often be scary to be an ally within an affinity group because you don’t want to intrude on that space but I think this week’s event is a really good opportunity to hear affinity groups out, see what they actually do, and be a part of their community,” Lefort said. “This week will push our community to be more supportive, and that’s all I can really hope for.” Check back with The Forum at the end of the week for pictures of Affinity for Love!

On November 11, ASCMC hosted its first “Sunday Snack,” a community town hall intended to provide students, community members, and club leaders with an opportunity to freely voice their opinions on issues affecting the CMC community. This town hall centered on the topic of female leadership on CMC’s campus. All were invited and encouraged to attend in an attempt to create a more involved community where everyone’s voice can be heard. “We bring the snacks, you bring the discussion,” ASCMC said of the event. “It’s important to provide a platform for students to organically express their issues on campus,” said ASCMC President Maya Love ‘20. “These town halls are a way for us to come together and reach solutions on a consensus basis. Instead of ASCMC making decisions on behalf of students without their input, we are encouraging all members of the CMC community to show up and actively participate in the decision-making process,” she said. During the event, students migrated around the room to different posters and wrote their responses to various questions pertaining to leadership on campus. These responses and suggestions are meant to provide ASCMC with tangible action items on ways to improve CMC’s campus. Sunday Snack will resume next semester, and will occur once or twice per month.

With the second annual Sex Week quickly approaching, the CMC Advocates for Survivors of Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence are scrambling to raise $20,000 to fund their event, scheduled to take place from October 29 to November 1. Advocates intend to bring in a wide range of speakers to discuss topics such as healing, pleasure, and sex after trauma; sexual health from a medical doctor; and how to engage in safe sex as a person of queer identity. The week will culminate in an informational carnival held on Thursday. As of today, Advocates have raised a little under $12,000. Last year, Advocates held the first ever Sex Week on Green Beach, bringing in over 800 people, 500 of whom were CMC students. One of the biggest draws of Sex Week that Advocates hope to bring back is the free, anonymous STI testing package provided for CMC students. Advocates said that while students may have access to STI testing through their parents’ insurance or SHIP, the consortium-wide health insurance, issues with confidentiality and a time-sensitive reimbursement process may keep certain students away, especially those of marginalized identity. Free HIV testing is also available at HEO, but it does not include the whole panel included in full STI testing. Last year, due to a last-minute contract termination with a third-party vendor, DOS ended up agreeing to cover STI testing which came out to over $10,000 and tested almost 200 students. This year, DOS has agreed to contribute $1,000 towards the Sex Week carnival. To fund the costs of the event along with the steep price of STI testing, Advocates reached out to multiple sources of funding over the last month. While Advocates is allocated the fourth highest budget from ASCMC this school year, approximately $4,400 of their budget goes toward two annual trainings, leaving little money for an event like Sex Week, according to Lindsay Burton ‘19, a member of Advocates. “We’re constantly training so a lot of the funds go towards updating our training,” Burton said. “On top of that, [it goes] to on-duty supplies and t-shirts, which may be frivolous to other organizations, but our t-shirts are actually a lifeline to people at parties. They come and ask us for help and they get the help they need. The teal is our symbol [for] people [to] know that we are a resource for them.” Advocates requested $5,000 from the Executive Board and $4,000 from Senate, but expected approximately $5,000 from ASCMC, the amount that was granted last year. Citing a decrease in general budget, ASCMC contributed a total of $3,500 to the event this year. Tensions rose during Advocates’ presentations at Exec Board and Senate meetings, and Burton asked ASCMC, “How much do you spend on Pirate Party?” Love responded to Burton’s comment in an email to The Forum. “We don't believe that it is appropriate to compare Sex Week to any event including Pirate Party,” Love said. “All of our events are budgeted over a year in advance during our annual budgeting whereas Sex Week is more similar to ad hoc events put on by groups that tap the Senate General and Executive General Funds such as Sanskriti and other cultural/affinity-related events.” Love said she understands both the importance of the event and the necessity to reserve funding for other student organizations. “We believe that the work that CMC Advocates does is incredibly important; that is why we have funded $3,500 towards this event and hopefully more with reaching out to other resources on their behalf,” Love said. “We are committed to supporting and funding our students; however, we want to ensure that we can also support other student clubs throughout the year which also come to us with important requests,” she said. Advocates President, Zippy Wilson ‘19, declined to comment as she serves as an advisor for Love. Additionally, all of the newly elected dorm presidents were asked to contribute 15 percent of their budget to Sex Week; only three of the dorm presidents agreed, adding about $600 in total. In the meantime, planning for Sex Week will continue and booking vendors and speakers will still need to move forward as Oct. 29 quickly approaches. Class presidents have also agreed to allocate 15 percent of their budget, which adds an additional $1,100. Advocate Andria Tattersfield ‘21 said that ASCMC is not prioritizing budget distributions appropriately, seeing as a large chunk of funding went towards the party scene on campus. “Given that assumption that we have to maintain [the party scene] then, [the budget is] really tight,” says Tattersfield. “But if we consider re-proportioning how much we dedicate to the party scene for alternative events, then it wouldn’t be that tight.” ASCMC general budgets are smaller this year than last - Senate’s only has $12,500 this year compared to the $15,000 they had last year, and the ASCMC Executive Board also has $12,500 compared to last year’s $40,000. ASCMC pre-approved funds of $10,000 for 6:01, $21,000 for Monte Carlo, and almost $30,000 for Wedding Party for this year. The ASCMC budget is $342,000, which comes from a student fee of $122.50 that is paid every semester. Tattersfield points to systemic issues with the structure of ASCMC as to why Sex Week has had a difficult time finding funding. “ASCMC, as it was created, what they budget for at the beginning of the year, and what they’re made to do, is to hold these big parties and continue CMC’s traditions to benefit the groups at CMC that CMC has traditionally been catered toward,” said Tattersfield. “And so, they don’t have a lot of funds for events that aren’t big parties and they don’t have institutional incentives or structures where these kinds of alternative events that aren’t just the big parties can get the support. That’s why there’s so many individual people working so hard [to find this funding].” Exec Board passed a motion to contribute $2,000 total to Sex Week: $1,500 from the General Fund and $500 from the discretionary fund of Maya Love ‘20 and Max Knowles ‘20. The General Fund is the only one that can be granted during the year to pay for 5C event proposals, compared to the fixed Campus Organization funds and Student Activities funds. Senate settled on matching Exec Board’s contribution of $1,500, resulting in a total contribution of $3,500 from ASCMC. Senate mentioned hesitations to give more of their discretionary budget after criticizing Advocates for not acting on budget cut suggestions proposed previously. Senate settled on $1,500 after agreeing that Sex Week was funded enough to put on the event, aside from the STI testing. Senate added that Sex Week contributions would be taking up a bigger percentage of their current budget even though the members are providing less funding for Sex Week than they did last year. At that point, the CMC Advocates were still $2,000 short to put on Sex Week and $10,000 short to provide the free, full-panel STI testing for students. Representative Advocates left the final ASCMC allocated to discuss funding Sex Week on October 8 feeling disheartened at the outcome and clarified that funding in no way benefits the club for profit. “It’s a huge burden to take on, but it’s not for us; it’s for the student body,” said Advocate Lindsay Burton. “I think that we serve all students. So, for this to be such an issue—to provide consent-based, survivor-supportive, sex-positive sex education to the student body—and also queer-inclusive—it’s incredible we’re not willing to invest in something like this.” Advocates reminded students to keep in mind what their decisions meant and what message it sent in the midst of the #MeToo movement and the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. Currently, after pulling in some more small contributions for multiple sources the CMC Advocates are still $9,590 short to provide the free, full-panel STI testing for students. Sex Week will take place October 29 to November 1, with the carnival occurring on the afternoon of November 1 on Green Beach. Workshops will be happening throughout the week.

Claremont McKenna College announced plans to withdraw from Keck Science Department to create an independent program with an emphasis in interdisciplinary science in two statements to students and faculty Thursday. This decision comes after two failed attempts to expand the facilities at Keck, and many of the professors said they were surprised by the announcement. Keck will continue to be a shared department between Pitzer and Scripps Colleges. All three colleges have been meeting to alleviate pressures caused by increased enrollment, especially in the summer of 2017. Dean of Faculty Peter Uvin said that withdrawal from Keck was not the goal of deliberations this summer. “It turned out to be the way to take the next step forward to make expansion of opportunities for students and faculty possible,” Uvin said. The Keck faculty received an email Saturday informing them that there would be an update, followed by a full faculty meeting at CMC about “the future of interdisciplinary science at CMC,” according to Chemistry Professor Nancy Williams. She said there were a lot of theories about what was to be announced. “We knew it wasn’t going to be the status quo,” she said. “We knew the announcement would not just be, ‘We’re still waiting on a building, still talking to donors, still don’t have answers, but the plan is what it’s always been.’” Dean Uvin said that the news became public as soon as possible, and that faculty input will be sought now that the structural decision has been made. “The planning starts now,” Uvin said. “The faculty will be involved in all steps as we go forward.” Keck Science Department has been in need of a new building for several years, according to professors at Keck. Biology Professor Emily Wiley said if there were more space for labs, the department could hire more tenure-track professors. “It’s a physical, space, resource limitation,” she said. “We’ve had clear signals from the administrators at all the Colleges that we could hire if we had the space to put people, and that would just alleviate most of the pressures that we’re feeling and the weaknesses in our program.” Although the department has dealt with and an overdue expansion for many years, Professor of Physics Scot Gould pointed to how successful Keck Science Department has been in that time, especially with unique programs such as the Accelerated Integrated Science Sequence (AISS) and Introduction to Biological Chemistry (IBC). “Most colleges graduate fewer science majors than the number of students who intend to major in the sciences,” he said. “However, the Keck Science department has historically graduated more. We really are working to help each student achieve their goal in science (or engineering).” “Was a building achieving these goals and successes?” he asked. “No. It is the remarkable people in this department. People are more important than buildings.” Professor Williams said the Colleges’ unequal resources probably led to CMC’s decision. “From CMC’s perspective, the building they wanted build and the number of faculty they want to hire was too big of a check for Scripps and Pitzer to be able to write,” she said. CMC proposed splitting the science department in 2008 so that faculty would be permanently assigned to certain schools, Gould said. “The idea was pitched with the promise that ‘this will ensure a new building will be built,’” he said. “In that era, CMC really looked into actually doing what CMC is proposing now - building its own science program from scratch.” Instead, there was a change in the governance, including the hiring of a new Dean, David Hansen, who aimed to heal the loss of trust. “It took us years to come back from that difficult division that didn’t even happen, but I think he did a really good job that was continued by Deans Preest and Sofia and I think we’ve had a really good relationship with CMC over the last ten years,” Williams said. “I think CMC really wanted to do this in a way that served our students in the best way possible...I think everyone wanted to keep the department intact and to not divide us.” But some professors feel that there was a lack of transparency in this most recent announcement. Professor Wiley said she would have appreciated being updated about the future of Keck. “It would have changed planning by faculty and staff had we known it would resolve this way,” she said. “There may be some financial challenges to fully funding the department through only Scripps and Pitzer, but many of us are optimistic”. Some Keck professors said they felt disappointed that CMC was withdrawing from Keck. Professor of Biology Anastasia Nagel framed it in terms of physics principles. “It takes a lot of energy to keep things together,” she said. “Laws of thermodynamics tells us disorder is always increasing, one of the saddest things is when something we have built together and put energy into falls apart.” Nonetheless, all the professors and administrators we spoke to were confident that both science departments will continue to prioritize the students. “I'm cautiously optimistic for what this will mean for our students in the long term,” Professor Williams said. “This gives us a path toward doing what we all agreed we need to do which is hire faculty and build buildings and really support our students in a way that we know that we need to provide for.” “In the end I know we’re going to be fine because we have such a strong community here and there's so much good energy that’s student centered,” Professor Wiley said. “We’re excited about our program and that’s just going to keep going. I think this will all pass. It’s just a shock right now.”

Students from across the Claremont Colleges gathered in front of Malott Dining Hall on Tuesday to protest Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s recent confirmation to the United States Supreme Court. Organized by two students on Facebook, the protest garnered considerable attention with 345 individuals marking themselves as “interested” on the Facebook event page. Starting with 50 to 100 participants, the protest grew in size as the march moved through campus. The protest started in front of the Scripps dining hall and then made its way throughout the Colleges. Protestors’ voices could be heard from near and far as they shouted various messages in unison including, “Cancel Kavanaugh”; “Our bodies, our choice”; “This is what democracy looks like”; “Hate and fear are not welcome here”; and “We believe Anita Hill, We believe Dr. Ford.” The last message comes in the wake of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh, and served as a major impetus for the protest. One of the student organizers, Gabby Jacoby SCR ‘21, told The Forum that the protest and march were intended to be moments of solidarity on campus for sexual assault survivors. “I hope that we can encourage people to use their voices and believe survivors, and to vote this November,” Jacoby said, amidst leading the protest chants. “We are watching the Senators who voted to confirm Kavanaugh, we are paying attention, and we are the ones who are going to vote them out of the Senate.” Kavanaugh’s confirmation into the Supreme Court on Saturday comes after several months of controversy within the United States Senate and across the nation. After Dr. Christine Blasey Ford came forward with allegations that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her in high school, many Americans, through social media platforms and physical protests, expressed that they did not believe Kavanaugh was fit to be a Supreme Court Justice. After Kavanaugh and Ford each testified in front of the Senate regarding Ford’s allegations, the Senate ultimately voted in favor of Kavanaugh’s confirmation by one of the smallest margins in Senate confirmation history. Pomona student Lianna Semonsen ‘21 said she was motivated to protest particularly in light of Kavanaugh’s confirmation, and due to “the injustice that this represents, not only for [sexual assault] survivors but also women and people everywhere.” Another anonymous student expressed that the Senate decision to confirm Kavanaugh, in their opinion, was not representative of what the majority of American people want. “I think that because of where Claremont is located, not a lot of people will see the physical protest,” they said to The Forum. “But I hope that the press that is here picks it up, and that it is conveyed on a national level along with other protests.” In the hours after the protest, individuals expressed gratitude and solidarity for the event organizers and protestors. Another Facebook post encouraged protestors to donate their posters to Denison Library on Scripps’ campus to remember the event as a part of 5C history, and as a reminder “for future students, activists, and researchers that come to these colleges.” According to an event organizer, the protest was originally scheduled for Monday, October 8, but was moved to Tuesday out of respect for Indigenous People’s Day.

The resignations of both President and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of ASCMC this summer set the stage for a busy semester ahead for the remaining members of Executive Board. Under new President Maya Love ‘20, ASCMC has already hosted a successful club fair, implemented a new reimbursement system and hosted elections to fill the open positions. ASCMC held fall elections for the new Executive Vice President (EVP) and Dormitory Affairs Chair (DAC) in addition to the regular race for First Year Class President, Tuesday. Both the EVP and DAC candidates ran unopposed, and Maxwell Knowles ‘20 and Joshua Rodriguez ‘21 were elected to the positions, respectively. Out of the five first-years, Cindy Lay ‘22 was elected as First Year Class President. Event Commissioner and CFO applications are in and will be appointed soon. Executive Board approved the budget for 2018 fiscal year this week, and already funded The Forum’s request to cover website and snack costs. Most of ASCMC’s revenue comes from the $245 each student pays in student fees, totalling to around $313,000. About 70 percent of the budget is allocated for campus organizations and student activities. To access that money, students will have to go through a new reimbursement system, Workday. Treasurer and Acting CFO Maxwell Dawson ’21 introduced Workday at Senate last week, saying it aims to achieve three important goals for the reimbursement process: improved efficiency, increased transparency and ease of reporting. Dawson and other members of ASCMC spent the summer working with DOS to ensure a smooth transition from the previous platform, FluidReview. In terms of efficiency, Workday makes it easier for not only ASCMC officers to approve reimbursements, but also for students to submit them in a timely manner, Dawson said. “We’re optimistic that once the transition is fully completed we’ll getting reimbursements out within 2-3 weeks as opposed to last year, when it sometimes took a few months,” Dawson said. “Rather than issue checks, Workday allows us to deposit reimbursement funds directly into a student’s bank account if they have direct deposit set up, which will expedite that process even further.” In order to increase transparency, Workday allows ASCMC to add more levels of approval, including a few at the CMC and The Claremont Colleges Services (TCCS) level. While a reimbursement was previously checked by three people in ASCMC, it’ll now be checked by up to seven. “We’re optimistic this will eliminate the holes in our previous process,” Dawson said. Workday’s new reporting feature will improve all aspects of ASCMC’s budgeting process by making it easier for clubs and organizations to check their balances. In previous years, the inefficiency of budget reporting and distributions of funds has been a recurring issue for many on-campus organizations. According to Dawson, with the new system, clubs, dorms, officers and all other groups affiliated with ASCMC will now be able to check their balance at any time. This convenient add-on will eliminate the use of club ledgers and inquiries about how much money a campus organization actually has. Dawson and other ASCMC members are confident in Workday’s ability to effectively provide both ASCMC and the CMC student body with an improved, hassle-free reimbursement procedure. Moving forward, ASCMC hopes to improve its overall financial structure by processing reimbursements more efficiently and encouraging officers to review finances in closer detail.

“I’ve done it, and you can do it too.” SUMMER IS ENDING, AND THAT MEANS THE 2018-2019 ACADEMIC YEAR IS WELL UNDERWAY. THIS ALSO SIGNALS THE ENTRY OF NEW LEADERSHIP WITHIN ASCMC, SPECIFICALLY IN THE ROLE OF PRESIDENT. I SAT DOWN WITH THE NEW EXECUTIVE PRESIDENT OF ASCMC, MAYA LOVE ‘20, DURING COLLINS SNACK FOR A RIVETING CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW TO EMPOWER OTHERS IN THEIR LEADERSHIPS ROLES AND RESPECTING PEOPLE’S ABILITY TO GROW INTO THEIR EMPOWERMENT. How does it feel to be the first female African American ASCMC President? It feels like an honor. Often times, we view moments like these as only happening in the past or not being able to happen to us. I am ecstatic to be the first, and I recognize that other people who stood on this campus before me have allowed me to stand in this position now and given me the necessary support, including DOS and my fellow classmates from 2020. So yeah, it’s a great feeling! Could you explain the underlying events that led to your transition from ASCMC Vice President to ASCMC President? The underlying events that passed this summer provided us with a great opportunity to re-evaluate some of our systems in place. DOS presented us with the issues pertaining to the reimbursement process of FluidReview due to how it limited the number of checks on receipts, which then led to a situation where if students were delayed in receipts, then mixups with accountability could be prone. There was also information that DOS could not reveal to us due to privacy policies in order to protect and respect the students involved. I think the greatest accomplishment from this summer was learning to appreciate the systems that we had in place and discovering the need for certain improvements. It goes without saying that the best laid systems and policies within any organization are not perfect, but evolving as both a community and corporation is our primary focus moving forward. And I’m happy to say that we’ve already made productive strides in achieving that goal. We have implemented additional checks and balances in our system, including two from the College. For example, direct deposit is new, and the distribution method for petty cash is much improved. Other equitable and accountable changes have been made as well. This summer’s agenda focused on brainstorming ways to better support the growing demands of our growing campus, the students who populate it, and of course, clubs and organizations. None of these change would have been possible without our collaboration with the Deans. Why did DOS not discuss certain information with you and the rest of ASCMC, and do you think them not disclosing certain facts is in direct correlation with the outcome of recent events? I don’t think it was necessarily about DOS not sharing information, but I do think that when students get involved with matters such as this one, there are certain levels of privacy that must be maintained, for everyone involved. We approached the situation by remaining respectful and ensuring that everyone’s feelings were heard and validated. Thankfully, I think this happened while working with the Deans. Like I said earlier, ASCMC is comprised of students too, so I don’t think it would have been appropriate for them to have shared sensitive information with us that does not benefit our efforts in moving forward. My job as ASCMC President is to focus on advocating for the student body and identifying ways we can improve our community. What prompted you to run for ASCMC Vice President in the first place? I observed student leaders— including myself— putting in so much work, and it’s difficult because there is so much happening behind the scenes that is not recognized or appreciated by the student body. I wanted to promote the slogan: Lead with Love. Often times, we get wrapped up in internships, applications, and good grades that we forget how we are people and have a support system here on campus. Sometimes, all it takes is a “hello,” or a “how can we better support you?” that can make all the difference. I wanted students to know that when I step into an environment, it’s one of inclusivity, acceptance, and diversity. I also wanted to encourage students to take risks because if we aren’t challenging ourselves to step outside of our comfort zones, then we are not trying hard enough. I wanted to encourage members of our community to better advocate for themselves, but most importantly, I wanted to accept the risk associated with being vulnerable. I am excited to see what Max Knowles, our new Executive Vice President has in store for the student body! It seems like you’re dead set on making the CMC community a place where everyone feels welcomed and respected. Yes, absolutely! I want to lead by example and bring this energy on campus along with my other colleagues on ASCMC. How will your experience as the former Diversity & Inclusion Chair assist you in your new role? It definitely gives me insight on how ASCMC can incorporate more inclusivity. As the former Diversity & Inclusion Chair, I really emphasized the idea of empowerment. I firmly believe it’s important to understand that by finding our own empowerment, we also empower those around us. However, this only comes about through talking and dialogue. And hopefully these future leadership development trainings will allow us to find a way to empower others while simultaneously respecting their growth in that empowerment. If anything, being D&I Chair has shown the community that I care about what I do, and I think it will lead the community to embrace me with open arms. You mentioned something about respecting people’s ability to grow into their empowerment. Could you elaborate on this? I think that’s the thing about being vulnerable. A lot of times, even myself as a student, it’s hard to say that I feel uncomfortable being myself or that I’m unsure on something because we haven’t approached it yet. I talk about this leadership development idea, and I realize that our students deserve a program that shows them that it’s okay to be new in a leadership role but still feel empowered. Those two ideas don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Just because you are new does not mean you’ve lost that sense of empowerment. If anything, it’s more emboldening because it makes you more hungry to grow into your new position. I hope to show the student body that even though I’m a little new (not too new, though), I still feel empowered in my position as ASCMC president, and that only comes from the community supporting my empowerment. Describe your mission as ASCMC President. My mission consists of two parts: the first is to show students what it means to lead with love, and the second is to leave a legacy defined by the importance of community. Often times, we only look at college as a four year experience, and that’s great! However, it’s important to reflect on how you will be remembered, which we can all agree might be through your relationships with others. On a big or small scale, these relationships will stick with you and define your legacy and how you are remembered. Maybe you were a club leader, or research assistant, or you fill in the blank. Whatever your position, it can and will influence those coming behind you. This leads to my biggest message, which is how we “pass the torch” honorably, respectfully, and with the message of ‘I believe in you. I’ve done it, and you can do it too.’ The only way we’ll make our community great is if we believe in and support each other. What are you most excited for about your presidency? Any plans we (the general public) should know about? I was really excited for the Transition-to-Work Day. Max Dawson, our acting CFO, put in a lot of work this summer, along with Connor Bloom working on Workday. The whole ASCMC team really stepped up, so I’m just really excited to see what my board accomplishes this year because it’s one thing to discuss goals but another to see results. Like I said earlier, we are already seeing progress, and the year just started. Look at what we’ve accomplished already: Ajlina Bašić, Clubs and Organization Chair, planned a fantastic club fair; Transition to Work Day was a hit! I also really like the energy from our seniors. Edgar, Senior Class President, is working extremely hard to inspire the seniors to lead and serve the campus, and both Andrea Amaya and Johnson Lin have been nothing short of the same energy. The Senate Chairs have some great projects lined up for the year with heavy representation from the first year class. The list goes on and on. If anything, it will be how our board grows that determines our success, and right now, the momentum we have is unstoppable. In terms of large projects, I am grateful that we already completed the financial model. I also want to show our students more support on campus. We will be rolling out Stag and Athena of the month just as a way to highlight our community members who are doing great work. Obviously, working on the longevity of ASCMC is also a focus of mine. It’s important to remember that you can never get too comfortable. There’s always room for improvement, and this year, ASCMC is really about letting people grow into their positions. It’s so much easier to show grace towards people by extending a helping hand— which we all can do— rather than chastising people for making a mistake. I’m super excited for this year because both Executive and Senate are all on board. What legacy do you want to leave on CMC and ASCMC? I want the community to feel a little more comfortable with trying something new, and with this comes the challenge of also accepting the small wins in being vulnerable. I think a good place to start is to lead by example. For myself, it’s going to be about starting new initiatives and discovering how they work within our community. More precisely, starting a collaboration of community. I want that to be my legacy: leading with love, but also leading with empowerment, leading with community, and leading with risk. At the end of the day, we are only here for four years, but I want that feeling to stay here forever. I thank the student body for this opportunity.

ASCMC President Elliot Behling ‘19 and and Chief Financial Officer Philip (Whit) Lippincott ‘19 have resigned from their positions following an internal investigation of fraudulent receipts, according to an email sent out to the CMC community by Executive Vice President Maya Love ‘20 and President Pro Tempore Connor Bloom ‘19. Love, according to Article 7 Section 36d of the ASCMC Constitution, will serve as the Acting President “with all the powers and responsibilities of the President.” The investigation probe found that about $2,000 of student funds were misappropriated. In Behling’s resignation letter, he said he made ASCMC related purchases with his personal funds and failed to keep a proper proof of payment. In order to still be reimbursed, Behling substituted the real receipts with unrelated, unauthorized receipts for alternate transactions. He said that while his intentions were to ensure successful activities, he realizes that his intentions “do not justify the circumvention of our financial standards.” The investigation concluded that Lippincott did not perpetrate fraudulent activities, nor had knowledge that they were fraudulent, according to his resignation letter. He said that nonetheless, the policies and procedures he oversaw allowed the fraudulent reimbursements to go undetected. "While I was thanked for my cooperation, thoughtfulness, and professionalism during the probe, and I was cleared of any direct involvement in the fraudulent conduct, I tender my resignation as Chief Financial Officer of ASCMC in hopes that ASCMC can move forward to carry out its mission to leave a positive impact on the Claremont McKenna College students," he said. Lippincott has been asked to complete ASCMC’s annual taxes and 990s. The Chief Financial Officer is a very important member of the Executive Board,” reads page 19 of the ASCMC handbook. “They are responsible for setting the financial course of ASCMC and is tasked with making sure that ASCMC follows responsible financial practices.” Reimbursement requests from ASCMC are filed through FluidReview, an online application system also used by other CMC offices such as Career Services. To be reimbursed, a student must create a submission and enter Amount Requested for Reimbursement and Purchase Date, along with other basic applicant information. Another section instructs students to “attach the corresponding receipt or invoice. The receipt must be legible and have an item by item account.” It is possible that the information in the application was not verified by cross-referencing it to the receipt. Both Behling and Lippincott called for improvements to the financial management practices in their resignation letters. In a statement to The Forum, CMC Vice President for Student Affairs Sharon Basso said that the College is engaged with ASCMC as it examines its financial controls to ensure sound management of funds going forward. "For now, ASCMC will continue to determine the allocation of ASCMC funds, but the Dean of Students Office will administer the disbursement of those funds and will serve as additional oversight to ensure purchases are in accord with ASCMC and College policies." She added that she appreciated ASCMC's "immediate and conscientious response." Vice President Basso also noted that although ASCMC is an independent entity with a 501(c)3 status as a nonprofit, the College has an interest in ASCMC performance because the organization distributes the funds collected by the College. According to the ASCMC website, about $313,000, the bulk of the revenue, is collected from student fees yearly. The Forum reached out to Love and Bloom regarding the contents of these false receipts, how the internal investigation was conducted, and whether disciplinary action would be taken. Both declined to comment for this article. ASCMC Officers take office in March following Spring Break, and continue for a year. Behling was elected President in February with 57% of the vote, while Lippincott was appointed CFO by the Elections Committee this year and last. The email in its entirety is copied below: Subject: Important News Regarding ASCMC Leadership Dear CMC Family, As ASCMC Executive Officers we aim to advocate, support, and represent the CMC student body with respect, leadership, and integrity. Near the end of the academic year, some questionable activities of the Corporation of the Associated Students of Claremont McKenna were brought to the attention of Maya Love, Executive Vice President, and Connor Bloom, President Pro-Tempore, by CMC’s Dean of Students Office. With the information that was presented, an internal investigation ensued in accordance with the ASCMC constitution. After reviewing the financial records and conducting interviews, our investigation of financial activity for this past academic year concluded that fraudulent receipts were submitted and processed for reimbursement. There were failures in ASCMC’s financial controls to prevent this unauthorized activity. The total amount of questionable reimbursements to students this academic year was approximately $2,000. President Elliot Behling and Chief Financial Officer Philip [Whit] Lippincott cooperated in our investigation and recognizing the obligations of those leadership roles, have resigned from their positions (letters attached). There were no misappropriations of funds, nor lack of oversight, by other board members. We have full confidence in the ASCMC Executive Board to fulfill their duties that best serve CMC. These issues extend beyond the actions of a few individuals and highlight the need for systemic reforms in procedures. We take this as a significant opportunity to examine how we can improve our financial structure by making improvements on getting reimbursements out in a timely manner, increasing checks and balances on financial submissions, and empowering our officers in reviewing finances more closely. Moving forward, as outlined in the ASCMC procedures, Maya Love will be taking on the role and responsibilities of President and Chair of the Corporation of the Associated Students of Claremont McKenna College, effective immediately. Our current Treasurer, Max Dawson, has agreed to assist with the responsibilities of the CFO role until we can conduct an official appointment process. While Article 7, Section 38, Subsection (b) of the ASCMC constitution states that the President Pro-Tempore should take over the duties of the Executive Vice President should they be unable to fulfill them, we believe that it is in the best interests of the Corporation and its shareholders for Connor Bloom to remain as President Pro-Tempore to help guide the corporation through a smooth transition period. Therefore, there will be three openings within ASCMC’s Executive Board in the upcoming fall semester: Executive Vice President (EVP), Chief Financial Officer, and Freshman Class President. The process for special appointment of a new CFO and the special election for EVP will be announced in the future. The intentions of ASCMC will always be to ensure that student fees are disbursed and used appropriately and that the student body is represented with integrity and inclusiveness. We are working with the Dean of Students Office on these efforts. In the immediate term, ASCMC will continue to determine the allocations of funds, and the Dean of Students Office will administer the disbursement of those funds to improve the timeliness of reimbursements and compliance with ASCMC and College policies. We will continue to carry forward the momentum of this past year’s multitude of very successful programs and events. As always, ASCMC is for students, by students. All the best, Maya Love & Connor Bloom ASCMC President and Chair/ ASCMC President Pro-Tempore *The above email reflects the change of Max Fine to Max Dawson as sent out by Maya Love and Connor Bloom following the initial announcement. The resignation letters are attached below: Resignation Letter Lippincott Resignation Letter Behling

By this time, many prospective college students have chosen which 4-year university they will attend. On May 1 three years ago, Peter Albrecht '19 didn’t have much of a choice to make: Claremont McKenna College was the only college that accepted him. Albrecht applied to 29 schools from his father’s list; the only way his father would pay the application fees. These included many of the Ivy Leagues, Stanford, Georgia Tech, Pomona, Harvey Mudd, and CMC. The rejections kept piling up, until finally, the iconic CMC acceptance letter arrived with gold and maroon confetti. Albrecht instantly knew he was coming to CMC. There are many myths and urban legends about the college admission process. It is hard to determine exactly what a college is looking for, and why it may accept or reject someone. Jefferson Huang, CMC Vice President for Admission and Financial Aid and Philosophy Professor, dispelled myths and provided a behind-the-scenes look into the CMC admission office. While he did not divulge details about Albrecht’s application, his general comments explain why Albrecht was welcomed into the CMC family. The “Holistic Review” Albrecht said that one of the reasons he may have been accepted to CMC and not to other colleges is that CMC is one of the smallest schools he applied to, and that the admission officers were, therefore, more likely to take the time to read his application in detail and understand his specific circumstances. The circumstances of Albrecht’s transcript and program were very unique. Homeschooled for most of his life, Albrecht had read all 7,000 books in his house by the time he was 12. At the age of 13, he got on a bus to Boston and enrolled in classes at Harvard University. Albrecht ended up completing three years of Latin, three semesters of Greek, two history courses, three math courses, and two physics courses. Albrecht spent 5 years at Harvard, taking classes with both undergraduate and graduate college students. His transcript showed a 3.2 GPA from Harvard, which is extremely impressive as a teenager taking classes with graduate students. However, Albrecht felt that many colleges denied him because the number was lower than the 4.0 high school GPAs he was undoubtedly competing against. Huang confirmed that, like all applicants, when Albrecht sent in his application to CMC, it was subjected to a “holistic review.” Huang explained that in a holistic review, the admission office gets to know the entire student. There are three equally weighted academic measures: test scores (usually either ACT or SAT), high school transcript and how rigorous the high school program is. “Transcript” refers to the courses you took and the grades you got -- not to be confused with GPA which is measured differently by each school. In addition to the academic measure, there is a personal metric. “If a teacher in a recommendation letter talks about your intellectual curiosity...that matters. Of course, it is not as quantifiable,” Huang said. Unsurprisingly, Huang stated that for personal factors, leadership is very important at CMC. “It is not just about the things that you did, but how you did them. It is important to show leadership, creativity and ingenuity through your activities,” he said. Huang also emphasized the importance of engagement within one’s community and of forming connections in the world outside of the classroom. “Personal characteristics come out of the activities when someone does a good job of telling us about them,” said Huang. According to Huang, both the academic and personal rating inform the decision; however, there is no disqualifier -- the decision is simply informed by these placeholders. Clearly, Albrecht was an applicant with unique academic and personal characteristics, such as the initiative to follow the unconventional educational path he chose to take and the ability to keep up with the older students in his Harvard classes. What Happened to Peter Albrecht’s Application? Once Albrecht pressed send on his application, the ball was in the admission office’s court. Huang confirmed that once an application arrives in the admission office, it is read at least once, usually twice, except when it is deemed really far from competitive (as in “this student will flunk out at CMC”). According to Huang, the first reader would have made a few notes and voted “admit, waitlist, reject” on Albrecht’s application. Next, a second reader would have also made notes and voted “admit, waitlist, reject.” Each read-through takes around 20 minutes. In Albrecht’s case, the two admission officers either voted to admit, and the application went into a holding bin for admit, or, if there was any disagreement, the application was discussed by the whole admission team. After having been read and scored, all applications are given a final screening by the admission committee. The committee then sends out offers! Here are the statistics of the admitted students from the class of 2022. The Interview Peter Albrecht also interviewed at CMC where he was given the opportunity to clear up any confusion with his transcript. Huang explained that the interview process allows CMC to get to know a student on a more personal level, and allows the admission team to see what a written application often cannot portray. “Admissions Doesn't Make Mistakes” The CMC admission office does not quantify the number of valedictorians in each freshman class, but there are definitely a lot of students at CMC who were valedictorians in high school. For the average student who was not, it can be intimidating to be surrounded by students who may seem more experienced, intelligent or prepared for college. Huang states that he personally loves that a common message is that the admission office does not make mistakes. “It tells students that we chose them because we thought they would be great-- welcome to CMC, now be a great student here!” Albrecht is a perfect example of a CMC student who did not have the typical “high school valedictorian” experience. However, Albrecht does feel that he fits in at CMC and is very glad that he came here. He finds that the CMC professors and classes are even better than the ones he took at Harvard, is very fond of the administration and enjoys being able to take classes that are tailored to his interests in economics and physics. Most importantly, Albrecht is thriving at CMC with “a larger and closer friend group than he has ever had,” and relationships that he hopes will last a lifetime.

CMC is considering adding a new general education (GE) requirement related to “racial-ethnic understanding.” It would prepare students for their post-graduation lives and help them understand racism and the contributions of Black, Latinx, Asian, and Indigenous individuals in the U.S and abroad. Students would take courses discussing any of these four racial and ethnic groups. CMC would offer the GE as an overlay course by almost any academic department, meaning it could fulfill two GE requirements. CMC also plans to hire more professors, especially Black professors, for this GE. Current professors may choose to teach a course in the subject, allowing lower and upper-level classes to count. At least 30 courses are estimated to eventually fulfill the requirement. The GE could become a requirement by fall 2022, which would make the graduating class of 2026 the first class required to take it. However, changes to the current proposal are likely, which may slow the process. “We want to prepare students to understand several different issues, like racism and especially anti-Black racism, but also all forms of racism, and the social construction of race.” To address student questions, professors and staff members held a student forum on Tuesday, February 9. “There’s no number that has been set [on the number of new professors], but everybody is eager,” professor Gastón Espinosa, the Arthur V. Stoughton Professor of Religious Studies, said. “A lot of departments are putting in requests for hires that can teach about African-American religion and history. We are hoping that some of those will be granted.” Some students shared their concerns about racial insensitivity in the classroom by their peers and professors and asked about the possibility of training faculty members to teach these classes properly. “There would be a lot of programming and training available, so that would be something that we would actively encourage. We wouldn’t necessarily want to prescribe or force a person to take a program or seminar. What if they’re in biology or mathematics? In some fields, [training] would be more helpful if they’re going to teach a GE in this area,” said professor Espinosa. Instead of mandatory training, Nyree Gray, Associate Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion and Chief Civil Rights Officer, explained a new project for professors interested in being a “version of anti-racism fellow for CMC.” The application is due at the end of February, and these professors would support their colleagues who are developing these new courses. “The hope is to build capacity within faculty themselves. Faculty would have a colleague as a resource that can help one-on-one with preparing for this academic experience—not just from a content base, but also an experience base from the student,” Gray said. The majority of faculty members present at their meeting would be needed to pass the proposal. During this meeting, amendments are allowed. If approved, the proposal would be presented to the board of trustees. Professor Espinosa described this initiative as a “top priority for both faculty and the administration” as well as “a grassroots faculty response” to the President’s Initiative on Anti-Racism and the Black Experience in America. “We want to address some of the underlying issues of racism in America after the terrible tragedy of George Floyd’s death back in the spring. We also want to prepare students to understand several different issues, like racism and especially anti-Black racism, but also all forms of racism, and the social construction of race,” professor Espinosa said. If faculty members do not approve this new GE, other alternatives might be available, such as adding it to the Freshman Humanities Seminar (FHS) requirement. The professors at the forum remain “hopeful” that their colleagues will approve this proposal. “Each Claremont College has slightly different requirements. I think that, at CMC, people have always thought that these types of issues could be met through different departments and courses,” professor Espinosa said as the reason for not proposing this GE sooner. “But, we really think it should be more structural and something that every student has to take,” said professor Espinosa. “We want to do this as a community with the approval of professors and students. Everyone’s opinion matters. We’re trying to be as inclusive as we can.”