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By Associated Students of Claremont McKenna College As the fall semester ramps us, you may notice the familiar banners hanging over the rails of Appleby. First-Year Class President campaigns are in full force, and this year's cohort promises to bring you everything from Collins faculty appreciation to pre-games to weekly office hours. The First-Year Class President (FYCP) sits on ASCMC’s Executive Board as a representative and liaison of the Class of 2027. The FYCP manages a budget of $3000, and is responsible for planning a plethora of events, activities, and initiatives geared towards the Class of 2027 or the broader CMC community. Candidates rush to collect 50 signatures by Wednesday night to officially declare their candidacy and earn a spot on the ballot. Speeches will occur during Snack (10:30pm) on Thursday, September 21st at Collins Dining Hall! Voting is open starting at Midnight and is open till 8pm on Friday the 22nd! First Year Class President Candidates (Alphabetical Order): Kahani Malhotra Nripesh “Brian” Agarwal Rohan Mathew Tanveer Grewal Violet Ramanathan Zubin Khera KAHANI MALHOTRA A vote for Kahani is a vote for transparency #belikejohnnyvoteforkahani HELLO GORGEOUS FOLKS! My name’s Kahani, and I’m running for president because I want to see YOU adequately represented. My main focus is simple: transparency. You deserve to know what’s going on within ASCMC, and what decisions are being made about you. I will achieve this by: Having weekly office hours Janie’s Kitchen (Valach Lounge) to allow y’all to come and chat with me about anything & everything Send out a form after parties so y’all can suggest new themes and music! Sending out weekly email blasts with all the information you need for the week in a fun way >:) So I’ve got the ideas, but where’s the experience? Well: I have three years of student government experience (from being a class representative to an Executive Council representative to Vice President!) I am an international, queer student who’s lived in 5 different countries and understands the value of conversation and open communication - I will always be here to listen to you and speak up for your experiences Through my combined 10 years in Model UN and Speech and Debate, I have the experience and ability to speak up for our class, whether to fellow ASCMC members or the administration I’ve been at CMC for a month, and I’ve already fallen in love, with both the campus and the people. Representing you is my top priority. So Puck Fomona, and vote Kahani for Class President :) PS - If you want more details on my campaign, check out the gram: https://www.instagram.com/kahani4prez/ TANVEER GREWAL Hello! My name is Tanveer and I am running to be your FYCP! A vote for me is a vote for more fun as a class! Whether your vibe is joint study sessions or pre-games before football games, I got you!! I also plan to create more spaces where everyone can be involved and feel like they’re part of the Claremont community! As Class President of my high school from freshman to senior year, I have experience in building a community and look forward to doing that here with your help!! ZUBIN KHERA Zub is a Dub! What’s up Class of 27! For those of you who I haven’t already met, my name is Zubin Khera(he/him), and I’m running to be your First-Year Class President. A little bit about me: I enjoy going on long walks with my dog, Axl, listening to a wide variety of music (indie, r&b, rap, and everything in between), and talking about all things Marvel or DC. There’s a LOT of candidates running to represent you this year so you may be wondering what makes me qualified? Odds are that if you took the time out of your day to read through these statements in the first place, then you care about the future of our class. As do I! If you want to put your trust into a FYCP that will make sure your voice is heard, and will fight (and party) with our class’s best interests in mind then I’m your guy! As your first year class president, I want to foster a culture of change and that starts with tackling a wide variety of practical issues such as… Introducing weekly Food Around the World cooking nights at Valach for more diverse late night snack options! Changing Collins from swipe only to include meal card tap as an option and introducing student curated playlists during mealtimes Faculty appreciation initiatives for Collins dining staff and residential hall facilities staff (shout out to Nancy who taught me how to do my laundry) Having more diverse class bonding experiences such as sock assassin, beach days, campus nerf battles, video game tournaments, and karaoke nights Adding FREE menstrual products to all residential halls Replacing the chained chairs from Roberts (why is this still a thing…) Of course, this list is not exhaustive, so feel free to reach out to me at any time through insta - @zubinkhera23 or email zkhera58@cmc.edu Violet Ramanathan #CMCISUS Hello!! My name is Violet Ramanathan, and I am running to be your First Year Class President. Throughout my life, I have worked in activism and diplomacy, and I hope to apply my skills as a leader, communicator, advocate, and organizer to serving the Class of 2027. Even though we have only been here a month, I have found a home at CMC, and I want to make sure that each and every one of you feels the same. Ultimately, the role of the First Year Class President is to ensure that there is a strong sense of community within the Class of 2027. This job is split into two components: planning events, and representing the class in ASCMC. One of my main goals as Class President is to have lots of events, ranging from awesome parties and pre-games to chill movies and board game nights (and, of course, lots of food!). I plan to host a wide variety of events, so that there is a way for everyone to feel engaged. I also want to use my platform to promote school and class spirit, through spirit-focused events and some super cool merch! I believe that I am well equipped to represent the Class of 2027 in ASCMC. I am vocal and articulate, so I can ensure that our voices are heard, and I am determined to serve the class by advocating for your needs, desires, hopes, and dreams! In addition to promoting your initiatives, there are a few things I would like to push for personally, including a stronger focus on environmental sustainability throughout CMC. In the last month, I have noticed that there are a number of ways we could make our campus more green, and I want to be the voice within ASCMC pushing us to be better. An important part of the Class President job is managing a team and working together on a number of projects, which is why I will be appointing a cabinet full of qualified people - I encourage all of you to apply! To see details about my specific plans and ideas for the next year (there are lots!), cabinet positions, and more, check out my website: https://vramanathan87.wixsite.com/violet-4-prez! Or feel free to reach out with any questions, concerns, ideas, or if you just want to chat! You can find me on IG @livefreeorVi or shoot me an email - vramanathan87@cmc.edu. I look forward to getting to know all of you better and serving as your First Year Class President! #CMCISUS Candidates who did not provide a statement will still give speeches! Speeches will occur during Snack (10:30pm) on Thursday, September 21st at Collins Dining Hall! Voting is open starting at Midnight and is open till 8pm on Friday the 22nd!

If colleges cannot begin a return to normal under current circumstances, our society will never be able to return to normal. CMC Health Screening location (credit: CMC) According to its own data, the Claremont McKenna College (CMC) community has a 98% vaccination rate. The current COVID-19 positivity rate on CMC’s campus stands at a whopping 0.0%. Los Angeles County has reported a similar phenomenon occurring on other college campuses across the region. For example, the University of California Los Angeles, the University of Southern California, and Occidental College all have vaccination rates well over 90% and positivity rates well below 0.5%.   Los Angeles County partially attributes the low positivity rates at colleges to compliance with its indoor mask mandate. But that is simply not the case. Although students have been complying with mask rules in classrooms, mask compliance in residence halls has been scant. Moreover, there is a location on campus where students are allowed to gather in droves without having to mask up: the dining hall.   Despite the lack of indoor masking, COVID-19 case rates have remained low at colleges. Indoor masking was effective early in the pandemic when vaccines were not available, but with high vaccination rates, indoor masking is an unnecessary and restrictive measure. The CMC student body has been faced with numerous waves of the common cold and strep throat. Despite the spread of other respiratory diseases, COVID-19 has not spread, which suggests that the low case rate is the result of vaccines and not masks.   Los Angeles County has also imposed restrictions on social gatherings. The lack of sanctioned social gatherings on college campuses has dulled campus energy and taken away spaces that allow students to experiment with their newfound independence. Such restrictions are also unnecessary: during the week following CMC’s first large-scale party, there were zero new cases.   Los Angeles County should provide COVID-19 regulatory exemptions for colleges with high vaccination rates and effective testing procedures. Introductory college economics courses teach students about cost-benefit analysis, the process of weighing the costs and benefits of a given decision. It is high time to recognize that the costs exacted by restrictive COVID-19 policies on college campuses outweigh any supposed benefits.   The Center for Disease Control reports that as of October 12th, out of more than 187 million fully-vaccinated people, 6,227 have died from a COVID-19 breakthrough infection, reflecting a less than 1 in 30,000 chance of death. Despite the tragedy of these deaths, we need to put these numbers in their proper statistical context. In 2020, out of roughly 330 million Americans, an estimated 38,680 people died from car accidents, reflecting a more than 1 in 9,000 chance of death. Out of roughly 180 million people who drink alcohol every year, there are about 95,000 alcohol-related deaths annually, reflecting a more than 1 in 2,000 chance of death.   The data indicate that dying in a car accident and dying from alcohol-related causes are 3 and 15 times more likely than dying from a breakthrough COVID-19 case. Nevertheless, Americans still make the decision every day to hit the road or crack open a cold one—sometimes together. Yet for some reason, the vaccinated are not allowed to shed their masks and resume normal activities, even in highly-vaccinated communities.   Furthermore, the risk of death or serious illness from a breakthrough infection is even lower for young and healthy college-aged students. Colleges are unique communities. You would be hard pressed to find any other place in the United States with such high vaccination rates among such a low-risk population. If colleges, where so many students are vaccinated and low-risk, cannot return to normal, society will never return to normal.   To be clear, colleges should not remove all COVID-19 mitigation protocols. Vaccination mandates have been the primary reason for low case rates at colleges. Beyond that, weekly testing has equipped colleges to monitor case rates and isolate infected students. Nevertheless, indoor masking requirements for vaccinated students and restrictions on gathering sizes are both unnecessary and dampen the social vibrancy of college life.   After all we have endured over the past 20 months, we must not become complacent with unnecessarily restrictive policies. If we do not relax rules when and where we can, Los Angeles County will never be able to enter a post-pandemic world. Colleges must be the start of the return to normalcy. It is time to return to life as we know it, and need it, on college campuses. This article earned a third-place commendation in the Dreier Roundtable Op-Ed Contest .

On 29th February, ASCMC hosted its annual Wedding Party. Congratulations to the 2020 Mr. Stag and Mrs. Athena, Johnny Villasenor '20 and Giselle Herrera '20. Check out a few photos from the event! Photo Credit: Keval Shah ‘23

The CMC Advocates hosted their third annual Sex Week this past week, which showcased speakers such as Ashley Mantra and Andre Shakti among others. They also offered 40+ spots for free STI Testing and held a Sex Week carnival, a celebration for the end of Sex Week! Student affinity groups tabled throughout the afternoon, and students from the 5Cs gathered on Green Beach for a fun, informative learning experience. Here are some photos from the carnival. Photos taken by Mila Piacsek ’22

“CMC’s mission … is to support faculty and student scholarship that contribute to intellectual vitality and the understanding of public policy issues.” Claremont McKenna College’s public policy major has been a long time coming. As part of CMC’s mission, public policy as an academic subject combines CMC’s long-established strength in economics and government. Public policy has been one of CMC’s more popular sequences since it was created two years ago. This year, the college is taking a great leap forward by converting the sequence into a major. “Anyone who knows CMC’s reputation, like potential employers, will know that CMC has traditional strength in government and economics,” said Professor Shanna Rose, Director of the Public Policy Major and Associate Professor of Government at CMC. “A public policy major is going to build on that strength.” “Why now” would be one of the most asked questions regarding the public policy major. The short answer would be to meet growing demand for the subject. Until this year, Pomona was the only 5C college with a public policy major. However, “due to high demand,” Pomona has been unable to accommodate interest from students at the other colleges and “no longer accepts off-campus majors through the Class of 2024.” “CMC is really well-situated to meet the demand for public policy. Not only from students here at CMC, but also at Scripps, Pitzer and even Harvey Mudd,” Professor Rose told the Forum during an interview. “I think this is going to be a really nice addition to the curriculum for the 5Cs as a whole.” The most distinctive features of a public policy major are its interdisciplinary nature and focus on practical skills. The public policy major consists of an internship or research assistantship in public policy and nine courses: one class in quantitative methods; one in ethics; one in policy process; one in microeconomics; four electives (two for a dual major) from economics, government, history, philosophy, and psychology; and a policy lab (capstone). The major builds on CMC’s existing curriculum and does not establish any new courses. The capstone for the major, also known as the policy lab, is a one-credit class that puts knowledge into practice. Students work with real-world clients, such as the Brookings Institution and the Bipartisan Policy Center, to conduct research and analysis on a real-world policy question. The work they do includes memos, data analysis, and other professional deliverables. Just the kind of real-world experience a CMC student would crave! Not only does a public policy major give students the flexibility to count courses from multiple subjects toward their major, but it also provides more freedom in taking classes outside of their major. A dual major in economics (eight courses) and government (seven courses) requires a total of fifteen academic credits, whereas a public policy major requires only nine courses, seven for a dual major. This, in turn, creates more time for students to study abroad, to dual-major in another subject, or to explore CMC’s liberal arts curriculum more broadly. Regarding professional development after CMC, a public policy major would be suitable for both the public and private sectors. Students who are dedicated to a career in public service should consider majoring in public policy because the major provides insights from economics and political science, among other disciplines, into what makes a good policy. A public policy major equips its students with hard skills in economics, statistics and policy analysis, and softer skills such as professional writing, communication skills and teamwork“You don’t need to plan a career in public service for this major to make sense,” Professor Rose said in response to concerns about policy’s strong focus on the public sector. “I think there are tons of private-sector options for a public policy major. Corporate social responsibility, lobbying and consulting would all be great examples.” An ice-cream social with faculty members and students from the public policy major will be held from 3:30 to 4:30 pm on Monday, September 16, outside the Hub. No matter what your post-college plan is or which college you are from, public policy would definitely be an option worth looking into.