By Willa Umansky PZ ’27 and Madeleine Farr PZ ’27 Over two years ago on October 7, 2023, Hamas initiated “Operation al-Aqsa Flood,” firing thousands of rockets and launching an incursion into Israel in a historic attack. The operation resulted in the death of 1,200 people and the abduction of 251 hostages, marking the beginning of a war that has since accelerated Israel’s ethnic cleansing … Continue reading Trump’s repressive, sure. Pomona was first.
Words by Willa Umansky PZ ’27, Graphic by Ben Connolly PZ ’26 When I was little, my family would have Shabbat dinner every week — there is something inside of me that craves the Shabbos spirit. At camp, I would keep Shabbat weekly and that satisfied my innate desire for the sabbath, for the warmth of candle light and echoes of Shalom Aleichem. At college, … Continue reading My Judaism demands grief for Gaza
Words by Willa Umansky PZ ’27 Graphic by Ava Tratt PZ ’27 and Genevieve O’Marah SC’28 This interview transcript has been edited for clarity and concision. The Outback: Can you explain a little bit about the free wall project? In practice, what are you trying to do? This past summer, I and Grace Wood-Hull (PZ ’25, free wall project co-lead) … were tour guides at … Continue reading Interview with Project Pericles Fellowship Recipient and Free Wall Project Lead
Words by Ben Lauren PZ ’25 and Willa Umansky PZ ’27 Graphic by Willa Umansky PZ ’27 On March 3, Pomona, Scripps, and Pitzer Colleges all received an F grade on their Campus Antisemitism Report Cards issued by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). Three weeks earlier, the ADL and the Louis D. Brandeis Center filed a Title VI complaint against Scripps. Then, on March 18, the … Continue reading Student responses to ADL Report Cards and lawsuits on campus
Words by Willa Umansky PZ ’27 Graphic by Thea Riley PZ ’28 “I love reading about your sex life in the school newspaper,” is a text that would have sent me into an anxiety induced coma in high school. At my haggard, ancient age of 20, I have grown used to receiving messages of this nature. Intimate inquiries, promiscuous prose, and porny poems — I … Continue reading Rethinking Hookup Culture: Love Sex is Nice
Words by Willa Umansky PZ ’27 Everything was so normal, not homey or cozy or anything too good or warm, but normal. Starkly so, in a way that I’m not particularly used to. Pleasantries were upheld and honored, I’d laughed politely about twelve times in a thirty minute period. I think my slight discomfort, inability to relax wholly, was bred from the strict adherence to … Continue reading The Bounds of Propriety
By Willa Umansky PZ ’27 Graphic by Ben Connolly PZ ’26 It’s fall and I’m happy. In the sun, my chest bakes to a berry stained pink. When my children’s literature lecture lets out at 5:30pm, I’m cripplingly cold if I make the mistake of wearing short socks. Fall in Claremont is something that I will surely miss in the way I miss fall in … Continue reading happy fall 2024
By Willa Umansky PZ ’27 The linens pooled around me, begging me to sleep just a bit longer. Nina, dad’s ex, bought me the quilt that ached for its better days. It was beautiful, even in the infancy of its haggard state. One side sported light blue pin stripes on the white fabric, while the other displayed petals dancing in a pattern that could be … Continue reading Joe Biden Day As I Recall It
By Willa Umansky PZ ’27 The Outback: Is there anything you’d like to share about yourself right off the bat? Andrés Fernández: I’m delighted to be at Pitzer. I arrived in July from the East Coast. I’ve worked at a few different institutions and I’m grateful for those wonderful experiences. The philosophical, cultural, and political fit for me was important [when looking for my next … Continue reading Meet the New VP of student affairs & dean of students: Andrés Fernández
By Willa Umansky PZ ’27 “I just think that the act of not voting when you’re in the position of a privileged Pitzer student is just selfish. You think that you’re creating change, but you’re just safe and protected from the domestic changes that would occur under a second Trump presidency. Isn’t what you’re doing inherently social performance if you know your vote won’t even … Continue reading Election check-in: Claremont edition
