Volume 6 Number 4
MAY 2014
the pedant
\’pe-dant\: A scholar; one prone to ostentatious displays of learning; a learned academic; a nit-picker.
EDITOR’S NOTE
University newsletters are a dime a dozen. One of the things that makes
the Pedant unique amongst them is that it is written by students, for
students. This means that we aren’t guessing at what you’re interested
in or what your grad school experience is like: we know because we live
there, too.
The downside to this however, is the high turnover rate of our staff.
While graduating students bodes well for CGU’s rankings, it means that
much more often than we would like we lose a member of our staff. This
spring, we bid adieu to Sharone Williams, the woman behind the mask
of the La Flâneuse column, who leaves us with a PhD—and a book deal—
in hand.
Sharone’s writing style is unparalleled. Never have we seen a writer
turn a phrase with such deftness; so lucidly and with such incisiveness
get to the heart of an idea; and pun and allude with such rapidfire wit
and encyclopedic knowledge. Her writing is at once clever and moving,
urbane yet relatable, attuned to minutiae while receptive and alive to
the wonder and value of even the most commonplace situation. All that,
and she’s a hoot to work with.
While we here at the Pedant are already feeling her loss, it also presents
us with the opportunity to imbue our pages with a new voice. This
summer, we commence the search for a new columnist (for more, see
page 10). We are, as ever, here to enhance your life at CGU, and like
any good book (or newsletter), the turning of one page just means the
beginning of another and a new world of possibility.
Cheers,
Rachel Tie
Editor-in-Chief, the Pedant
in this issue
2 campus news
5 GSC update
6 feature: paying back student loans
8 la flâneuse: thinkin’ and drinkin’
10 student achievements
12 events calendar and more
the Pedant
Volume 6, Number 4 May 2014
Many thanks to Alana Olschwang, Patrick Mason, Patricia Easton, Virginia
Ramirez and the staff of Hagelbarger’s, Beverly Green, the GSC, and Sharone
Williams, whose three years writing La Flâneuse gave new meaning to the
phrase, “I can’t believe we’re getting paid for this.”
Rachel Tie
Editor-in-Chief
New financial aid
director
If words like “Stafford,”
“unsubsidized,” “Perkins,”
and “grace period,” make you
want to hide under a rock
and never come out, you’re
not alone. (And if you’ve never heard these words, you must
be independently wealthy and can move on to the next story.)
But what’s worse than student-loan debt is student- loan-debt
ignorance, and CGU’s newest hire is here to help.
The new director of financial aid, Beverly Green, knows her
dollar and cents. She comes to CGU having already held several
posts in higher education including a 13-year tenure as director
of financial aid at Mount St. Mary’s College, Los Angeles and
assistant vice president at Bank of America in the student
lending industry.
Officially, as director of financial aid, Green will be responsible
for the leadership and management of the financial aid office,
and supervising and administering all financial aid operations,
including fund management of institutional, state, and federal
funds. But from where we’re sitting, Green is the new go-to for
all questions work/study and student-loan related.
“I just want to say I am thrilled to be here at CGU . . . and to serve
the needs of our student population,” said Green.
With graduation right around the corner, loan repayment
periods are looming large. For those graduating, a trip to the
financial aid office is highly recommended, as new legislation
may have changed repayment options and loan variables (for
more on that, see page 6).
Green encourages students to stop by the financial aid office
(in the student services building) or make an appointment by
e-mailing finaid@cgu.edu.
WASC: {re}commendations
After a several- years-long process of reaccreditation, this
March the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)
delivered it’s report of commendations and recommendations
for CGU.
The report is based on extensive time spent on campus,
feedback from faculty, students, and staff, and assessment of
our academics, programs, and organization.
Emily Schuck
Writer
Contributor
Overall, the comments were positive, with all recommendations
aimed at having us continue to work on the issues the WASC
team noted last spring in their interim report.
For questions or comments, e-mail pedant@cgu.edu
Commendations include the school’s commitment to the student
Sharone Williams
2 Otium cum dignitate
Claremont Graduate University
campus news
experience; the cooperative spirit of the school’s leadership;
the collaboration between operations and academics; the
quality of assessment conducted by the Office of Institutional
Effectiveness; and the completion of university realignment and
the skill and sensitivity with which it was done (which, among
other things, scaled down our nine schools to five and centralized
several services).
Recommendations include an increased focus on diversity and
the creation and implementation of a plan to reach our diversity
goals; placing an increased emphasis on the consistent use of
data analysis for academic and administrative improvements;
an increased investment in enrollment management, marketing,
and publicity; and a continued investment in the progress of
transdisciplinary studies (for more on that, see page 4).
“While each program is reviewed [internally] at CGU, it’s only
through the WASC process that the institution as a whole
is reviewed,” said Alana Olschwang, director of the Office of
Institutional Effectiveness at CGU. “This provides an important
perspective on how CGU is faring in the context of other schools
in our nation. From the brief summary provided at the exit
session, it appears that CGU was on target in the self-assessment
conducted. There were no surprises, and CGU was commended for
the improvements realized over the course of the last two years.”
This June, President Freund will travel to San Francisco to attend
the WASC commission meeting. There, she will answer any
lingering questions the accreditation team has. The Commission
will then determine the accreditation decision—how long CGU
will be accredited before the next visit and any interim reports
required. The formal letter the commission sends to CGU will be
made public on the WASC website and posted in the CGU portal,
www.mycampus.cgu.edu.
Burning tech question? There’s a lab
for that
After much anticipation, the new Digital Learning Lab (DLL)
announced that its doors are open and ready for business.
The DLL is a collaborative initiative between the Student Success
Center and the Office of Information Technology.
Located in Harper 12 (in the basement of Harper Hall), the DLL
offers one-on-one or small group consultations as well as requests
to come to class to demonstrate or conduct short workshop
sessions. Currently, the DLL is staffed to help with Word, Excel,
PowerPoint, Publisher, SPSS, R (the programming language),
Matlab, Qualtrics, Citation Management Software (Endnote,
Mendeley), Dropbox, Google Drive, Google Analytics, Wordpress,
Strikingly, and Canvas. Need something else not on the menu?
Shoot them an e-mail at digital.learning@cgu.edu.
To make an appointment, use the online appointment system at
www.mywco.com/cgulearning. For more information, check out
their snazzy new website at www.cgu.edu/digitallearning.
Campus eatery caters to students
You may have noticed a few changes at your on-campus
eatery. Granted, they’re small—but according to Virginia
Ramirez, Hagelbarger’s manager, they are always looking
for ways to improve.
In response to a large demand for a soda fountain,
Hagelbarger’s reorganized the café space in order to
accommodate one. In addition, the weekly and standard
menu has changed to include at least one vegetarian option
in the specials for the week, and a better variety of veggiefriendly meals on the daily menu. And—little-known fact—
to make sure that students only get the best of the best,
Hagelbarger’s makes all their meals from scratch.
So if a soda fountain isn’t doing it for you, and you’d like to
see gluten-free or vegan options, use the suggestion box,
or talk to Ramirez directly. “My door is always open,” she
affirmed.
We often hear from student organizations, our student life
offices, and even your trusty Pedant, that we want to make
sure that your voice is heard. But at Hagelbarger’s you can
count on the staff to make your food (and maybe even your
day) just the way you like it.
“The [staff] always takes the extra step. If you don’t like
onions, we’ll make your order without onions,” Ramirez
said.
Perhaps dining services isn’t the place that an accreditation
organization might look for student centeredness (see
“WASC” story to the left), but the Hagelbarger’s staff doesn’t
take that commitment lightly.
“I love this place. I love the students,” Ramirez said. “We
see the same people every day, so we don’t see them as
customers, we see them as family, as people we care for.”
Contact Virginia Ramirez at virginia.ramirez@cgu.edu, or
visit Hagelbarger’s during their operating hours, Monday–
Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Friday from 9:00
a.m. to 4:00 p.m. They also cater on-campus events.
Leisure with dignity 3
Claremont Graduate University
student life
More than just a phase, T-studies
The Transdisciplinary Studies (T-studies) program at CGU has been
undergoing seismic shifts for over a year. This past February, the
T-studies faculty advisory committee revealed an interim report that
outlines a new vision of T-studies and the timeline for revising, voting
in, and implementing the report moving forward.
Students at the March unveiling of the interim report were excited but
skeptical. While some affirmed the great ideas within the report, they
also doubted whether they would see the light of day. “CGU seems like
a place of great ideas and poor follow-through,” noted one attendee.
Another said that the plan seemed “faculty-centric.”
The interim report outlines two phases for T-studies. The first would
include an annual conference to showcase the transdisciplinary
work coming out of CGU; visiting T-studies scholars from around the
country would come to present their research; visiting fellows—most
likely senior scholars—who would deliver public lectures, guest-teach
classes, and meet with faculty and students at CGU; and a brown-bag
lunch series (which began at the end of April with a talk by Dr. Marcia
Inhorn). Additionally, T-studies would continue to offer the dissertation
awards program and faculty-research grants.
“Especially at a graduate-research university, what is good for faculty
is good for students,” said Professor Patrick Mason, co-director
of the T-program. “The second section of the report is all about
[transdisciplinary] courses, and in the programmatic section, there
[is] a healthy mix of incentives directed to faculty and students. At a
graduate-research university it’s not a zero-sum game: What benefits
one can potentially benefit all.”
Along with hiring a new director—which the committee hopes can
happen by fall 2014 or spring 2015—the T-studies governance outlined
in phase one of the report will also include an assistant director
and research associates. T-studies will continue to include 300- and
400-level courses, with a 300-level course requirement for all doctoral
and dual-degree master’s students.
The report also recommends that CGU offer a certificate in
transdisciplinary studies. The certificate will require one 300-level
course, two 400-level courses, and a transdisciplinary portfolio.
Based upon the feedback the committee has received, they will revise
the interim report and submit a final report to the CGU faculty for a
vote. If that goes well, the committee will begin moving forward on the
various proposals of phase one, kicking it off by beginning the search
for a new director.
But even if the final report gets the vote, the rubber still has to meet the
road where it always does: funding. In the past, the T-studies program
has received $250,000 annually from the university’s endowment. For
a full implementation of phase one, T-studies needs an annual budget
of $500,000, an amount that represents one percent of the university’s
total operating budget.
Phase two would include the hiring
of transdisciplinary postdoctoral
fellows, a further expansion of
research support for students and
faculty, and the hiring of more
transdisciplinary faculty.
“At this point, it’s not realistic to
even talk about the implementation
of phase two,” noted Mason, “since
the current proposal hasn’t even
been approved yet . . . . But it’s good
to plan and dream!”
For more information on
transdisciplinary studies and to get
involved, join the “Transdisciplinary
Studies” community in your campus
portal at mycampus.cgu.edu. You
can also e-mail the T-studies codirectors, Professor Patrick Mason
(patrick.mason@cgu.edu ) and
Dean of Students Patricia Easton
(patricia.easton@cgu.edu).
The T-studies house and lab is located on the south west corner of 8th Street and College Avenue.
4 Otium cum dignitate
Claremont Graduate University
gsc page
Heirs to the iron throne
(or at least seats at the boardroom table)
Okay, okay. Maybe CGU isn’t Westeros. And maybe
the fight for a place on the Graduate Student Council
(GSC) executive board doesn’t call for torture or
poison or dragons.
The point is, the GSC is still an important part of
the CGU community, and wherever you are—north of
the wall in dissertation mode or drinking too much
wine Lannister-style in coursework—the 2014–2015
executive board is aware that a new school year is
coming, and ready to work.
Kevin Campbell, president-elect of the GSC, told
the Pedant that his biggest goal is to “improve
the quality of life at CGU in the ways that we have
available to us as the student council.”
Though this sounds like a lofty goal, Campbell and
the rest of the executive team are prepared to get
their hands dirty to make that goal a reality. They
plan to do surveys, but more importantly, talk to people and keep their
digital and actual doors open for questions/concerns.
The new administration plans to implement office hours at the GSC
house, when students can drop in to get face time with an executive
board member. Also, recognizing a digital communication breakdown
from the previous administration, Campbell noted that the GSC
e-mail address caused some problems, and intends to eliminate this
immediately.
“It might be a [hired student worker] that checks that e-mail, and it
might [get forwarded to] the wrong person,” Campbell said. “I want to
make sure that everyone who has a question for me or is interacting
with me has my personal e-mail address and they can contact me if
they need to. That one extra step in communication can make all the
difference in the world.”
This commitment to communication, and to the council itself,
promises that the executive board won’t have to face disbandment midsemester—a problem in years past—or call for special elections.
“Commitment is one thing we all really thought about before running,”
Secretary-elect Neil Patel said.
Most importantly, the new board members stressed getting involved
and that the GSC meetings are open.
“We’re really about being as inclusive as possible,” said Campbell. “And
my favorite people are the ones that say, ‘this could be better.’ Then
great, come and fix it. Come be a part of it, we want your help.”
From L-R: Benjamin Fall (vice president); Kevin Campbell (president); Qiannan
Liu (treasurer); Neil Patel (secretary).
GSC News and Upcoming . . .
The GSC is throwing an end-of-year party on May 9 where you
can meet, greet, and even share a drink with the old and the
new regime (see page 12 for details).
The welcome-back BBQ slated for next fall, which has been
paired with a club fair in the past, is also an opportunity to
meet the council (and enjoy a free meal).
Also upcoming in the fall will be elections for delegate and
council members, where you can get involved in an official
capacity. If you’re looking for something more informal, e-mail
the GSC to get on their volunteers list, and you can pick and
choose your level of involvement as they need help throughout
the year.
Even if you’re putting on an event and need some help
planning it, the GSC aims to provide some support, whether it
is through funding, human capital, or helping you to hop over
administrative hurdles with ease.
E-mail any member of the GSC to get in touch with them
directly:
Kevin Campbell; president, at kevin.campbell@cgu.edu
Benjamin Falls; vice president at benjamin.falls@cgu.edu
Neil Patel; secretary, at patel.p.neil@gmail.com
Qiannan (Nancy) Liu; treasurer, at quinnan.liu@cgu.edu
Leisure with dignity 5
Claremont Graduate University
Payback Time
managing student loans after graduation
Whether you’re about to graduate and enter the loan-repayment phase of your life or you’re new to the
student-loan rigmarole, being savvy about how much you’ve borrowed and how you’re going to pay it back is
the first step toward ensuring a financially sound future.
If you, like us here at the Pedant, were playing on Facebook instead
of doing schoolwork in early January, you probably came across
the open-source Google doc, “the PhD Debt Survey,” in which
PhD students anonymously detailed their student debt (www.
theprofessorisin.com/ph-d-debt-survey). The data was so harrowing
that by the end of that week the grey lady of university life, The
Chronicle of Higher Education, had written a story on it, and by midmonth, NPR had the document’s creator, Karen Kelsky, (author of the
much-lauded blog, “The Professor is In”) on Marketplace to speak on
the topic.
According to Kelsky, the current student-debt crisis (over $1 trillion)
goes back to the massive defunding of higher education in the United
States. “Basically, [higher education] has become a revenue-driven
institution, and so departments and programs that don’t generate
revenue in the way that the sciences or engineering or business do,
find themselves defunded. So, consequently, in the humanities and
social sciences, a typical stipend will be about $15,000, which—almost
anywhere—is not enough to get by.” As a result, Kelsky said, many
graduate students from these fields can have up to $250,000 in debt
by the time they finish.
While many reports and statistics focus on overall student debt, new
studies are finding that graduate-student debt is a beast unto its
own. According to a March study released from the New American
Foundation, 40 percent of the over $1 trillion in student debt went to
finance graduate and professional degrees.
Typically, the cost of tuition for a student attaining a PhD at CGU is
about $60,000 (if you’re on the six-year plan and started in 2008; if
you started in 2013 it can cost upwards of $100,000). If you borrowed
$60,000, you could pay it off in ten years by paying just under $700/
month (for a total amount of just under $90,000 paid). If you’ve
borrowed twice that amount (the cost of tuition and living expenses
in Claremont for six years) your monthly repayments will be at just
under $1,400 with a total of about $166,000 paid over ten years.*
With the average adjunct professor in California making $3,888/
course—or just over $31,000/year teaching four courses/semester—
according to the The Chronicle of Higher Education, this means
that at a repayment rate of $700/month, you are left with just over
$20,000 to live off—and that’s before taxes.
6 Otium cum dignitate
If this sounds unreasonable/impossible/
outlandish/financially ruinous, you are in luck:
the federal government agrees. Recent legislation
passed under the Obama administration has
made paying back these loans easier and more
feasible than in the past.
The first program, income-based repayment,
is based on income and family size and is an
option for borrowers who can prove partial
financial hardship. There are several options for
income-based repayment, with the best capping
monthly payments at no more than 10 percent of
your discretionary income (where discretionary
income is the difference between adjusted gross
income (AGI) and 150% of the federal poverty line
that corresponds to your family size and the state
in which you reside).
Another plan forgives outstanding loan balances
after 10 years (120 payments) of income-based
repayment for graduates working in “public
service” jobs—including teachers, non-profit
Recent legislation passed under the Obama administration has made
employees, and those who work at a a city,
paying back these loans easier and more feasible than in the past.
state, or federal organization. According to
Rohit Chopra, author of a Consumer Financial
Protection Bureau report on governmental debtemotionally . . . . In a survey of more than 3,000 households in the
easing policies, “graduate students are using the [public sector loanUnited Kingdom, [researchers] found that misunderstanding debt and
forgiveness plan] more heavily because [their] average balance is in
being financially illiterate led to the accrual of even more debt due to
excess of normal borrowing.”
poor financial decision-making (Journal of Economic Psychology, June
Taking advantage of government plans to ease the repayment burden is
2012). In a separate survey of 10,000 people in the United Kingdom,
advantageous, but they neither totally eradicate your loans nor absolve
[researchers] found that those who struggle to pay off their loans
you of your monthly payments. According to Meg Favreau’s article, “15
are more than twice as likely to experience a host of mental health
Ways to Pay Back Student Loans Faster” on Wisebread.com, a website
problems, including depression and severe anxiety.”
devoted to living responsibly on a small budget, there are several
The Pedant knows debt, and this article is meant not to scare, but to
key things to pay attention to as you approach your loan repayment
educate. The greatest gift you can give yourself post graduation is to
period. Along with making payments while still in school (if possible),
be informed, take advantage of debt-easement programs, and create
consolidating your loans, making a plan, seeing if your employer offers
a plan for paying off your loans as quickly as possible. And don’t lose
loan-repayment assistance as part of their benefits package, taking
heart: According to Favreau, keeping a positive mental attitude is
advantage of tax deductions, and never missing a payment, one of the
fundamental.
best strategies is to pay off your loan(s) as quickly as possible.
“Let’s say you have a $30,000 loan with a 4.5% interest rate that
you pay off over 20 years — you’ll pay $15,550 in interest. But if you
pay it off in only 10 years, you’ll save $8,240. If you pay it off in five
years, you’ll save $11,993. That’s enough money to buy a new car. Or,
depending on where you live, a full year or two of rent,” says Favreau.
“Achieving any goal requires determination and a feeling that you can
do this—and, really, you can. Psyching yourself up about it sounds silly,
but it can really help. Remind yourself what you’re paying for—[an]
education. That’s huge! It helps open career doors, and it helps you
grow as a person.”
But facing up to your debt isn’t just a numbers game: Avoiding
confronting large debt can not only be financially devastating but can
lead to a slew of mental health and performance issues, as well.
For more information on student loans and repayment options, visit
studentaid.ed.gov. And as always, visit CGU’s office of financial aid
for help with financial planning, loan options, and repayment advice.
E-mail finaid@cgu.edu.
“These types of [behaviors] can drive [graduate students] into
‘financial denial,’ which often manifests itself in behaviors such as not
sticking to a budget, not opening bank statements, and generally not
paying attention to money,” according to a story from the American
Psychological Association’s gradPsych magazine. “But that kind of
attitude can get students into even more trouble—both financially and
*Editor’s note: All figures the result of the rough estimacalculations of an
English major.
Leisure with dignity 7
world crying out for a Honnold Mudd black and tan brewed by you?*
Maybe you should give the people what they want, is all I’m saying.
However. If you’re full up on hobbies that will win you friends and
bragging rights, there are some great local breweries you can take
advantage of. When I say local, I mean extremely local. I Google-Mapsed
it because I like to be scientific, and Claremont Craft Ales is a cool
three-minute drive from CGU, while Dale Brothers Brewery is more for
the serious road warriors at five minutes away. They’re both a little bit
hidden in the back sides of business parks, they both host a variety of
events (Food trucks! Art and beer pairings! Community fundraisers!),
and they both serve great beer. Did I whet your thirst?** Perfect.
La Flâneuse
by Sharone Williams — writer, editor, loafer, PhD
graduate in English
Flâneuse, French: 1) a city wanderer; 2) one who
strolls about aimlessly; 3) a shopper with no intent
to buy; an intellectual parasite.
As part of the Pedant’s mission to enhance student life, La Flâneuse
features goings-on about town outside of the moated ivory tower that is
CGU. This month: Thinkin’ and drinkin’ in Claremont.
Well, readers, we’ve made it to the end of another April. Late April
means many things to many people—the return of baseball, maybe, or
time to stock up on Manischewitz products or Peeps—but for all grad
students, the last days of April mean one sure thing: the end is in sight.
Whether you’re finishing up semester projects, a mountain of grading,
or maybe even your time at CGU, April serves as a reminder to us all
that good things and bad things alike always come to an end. Even your
faithful flâneuse can’t stick around forever, loath though I am to admit
it. Yes, friends, the April issue of the Pedant will mark the end of our
time together, and while I’m happy to be passing the torch to who I’m
sure will be a most worthy successor, my heart is full to the brim with
gratitude not untinged by the sorrow of having to say goodbye. So how
do we bring things to a close, acknowledging the beauty of what’s past
and looking hopefully to the future? Why, there’s nothing for it but a
tall glass of beer, a little reflection, and a toast, of course!
Of course, you’ll need the perfect beverage. You can buy a hundred
thousand varieties of beer at the various grocery and liquor stores
in the neighborhood, and maybe that’s the way you like to go on your
average Saturday night, but this here’s a special occasion, here at La
Flâneuse we are deeply committed to celebrating the things we can
only find in our own backyards—literally. Homebrewing has become a
super-popular hobby in the last few years since it’s gotten easier and
cheaper to do. Nowadays you can get everything you need to impress
all your friends and subdue your enemies for about $125—and after
the initial equipment expense, you’ll mostly just need ingredients.
Unfortunately, we don’t have a local brewing supply any more, but my
sources in the know tell me that Morebeer in Riverside
(www.morebeer.com) makes shopping online a cinch. And isn’t the
10 Otium cum dignitate
Claremont Craft Ales is the new kid on the block, but they’re holding
their own. It shouldn’t surprise anyone that they make several varieties
of India pale ale (IPA), which is having its day in the sun right now, but
they also have a light, blonde ale called Willow, a raspberry wheat, and
some decent porters in their rotation (the Padua’s my personal favorite).
If you’re not sure what you’d like, you can do tasting flights ($1.50-$2
per beer), or you can drop a reasonable $5 for a full-sized beer. There’s
limited seating indoors and quite a few tables outdoors, enough to
accommodate a good crowd.
Now, I didn’t know this because I am actually hopelessly uncool, but
it turns out that Claremont Craft Ales is kind of a scene on a Saturday
night. The bar has a line out the door, and all the tables, chairs, and
couches are occupied by patrons cheerfully sipping any one of the
dozen or so beers on offer, playing chess and backgammon, and
spinning yarns with beer-loosened tongues. Intrepid Editor Rachel and
I didn’t want to stand out, so we made like the regulars and grabbed
some beer, but we had to wait a bit for a table. In the meantime, we
stood near one of the heaters in the outdoor seating area and visited
with a gorgeous and well-behaved dog named Herbie, who was the
designated skateboard puller for his owner. (And can I just put in a
word here for the merits of having a designated skateboard puller, er,
driver? Look, however you’re getting home, be as smart as all those
fancy pieces of paper you’re earning say you are: don’t drink and drive.)
We ate gourmet kimchi hot dogs; we talked school and life and careers;
and we raised a glass to commemorate a truly fabulous three years
together. And just when I thought my heart would burst, a plane did a
flip in front of the biggest, brightest moon I’ve ever seen, and it was so
beautiful I couldn’t speak. If you’ve never known wonder in an office
park parking lot, well, I’m here to tell you it’s not too late.
You might think trick planes and full moons are hard to top, and you’d
be right. But because anything worth doing is worth doing twice,
and because we like to be as thorough as possible, we hit up the Dale
Brothers tasting room a few days later. Dale Brothers has been around
for about ten years, and it’s likely you’ve had their Pomona Queen, a
smooth, pleasant amber lager that can be found in taps around town.
But if you head over to their tasting room, you can try the many other
beers they have on tap, a rotating selection that includes other classics
like their California Black Bear, a dark lager, and their Runway IPA, as
well as some lovely mixed beers featuring both year-round and seasonal
selections. Tasting flights are also available here (four beers for $7), or
you can go the half-pint or pint route. (If you head over on a Thursday,
you can get street tacos for $1.50 a piece and $1 off pints with a student
or faculty ID, which is a not-at-all shabby thing to do.) I tried the
somewhat questionably named Queen Latifah (a mix of Black Bear and
Pomona Queen), which was quite tasty, as well as a spicy seasonal beer
with hints of coriander, and I was very happy. Spring had just started to,
um, spring, so we sat in the beer garden and ate tacos and told terrible
and wonderful childhood stories, just like you’re supposed to do when
you’re lucky enough to find yourself drinking beer with some of your
favorite people around sunset.
Readers, here’s the thing about contemplation and
beer and writing, and about trying to wrap up three
great years in just a few paragraphs. You might try
to plan it out, wax poetical to yourself about how
you will spend this time reflecting on fermentation,
and how things that seem to have fallen to rack
and ruin have actually become supremely delicious
while you were not paying attention, how brewing
may be a metaphor for friendship and grad school
and all of human endeavour (in these types of
meditations, British spellings are standard). That’s
quite all right. But more likely than not, you will
instead find yourself laughing with friends, and
petting dogs, and holding your breath as a plane
does aeronautic tricks in front of an impossibly
big moon like the night was made to order just
for you in that very second. And more likely than
not you will realize that you don’t always need
metaphors for life to be beautiful and sharp and
sweet. Sometimes it just is, and it’s enough to just
be there and be grateful.
The rundown:
Claremont Craft Ales: 1420 N. Claremont Blvd.,
Suite 204C, Claremont, CA
Tasting room hours: Wed. 4-8 p.m.; Thurs.-Fri. 4-9
p.m.; Sat. 2-9 p.m.; Sun. 12-6 p.m.
Visit. www.claremontcraftales.com
Dale Brothers Brewery: 2120 Porterfield Way,
Upland, CA
Tasting room hours: Tues.-Sat. 2-9 p.m.; Sun. 12-6
p.m. Visit: www.dalebrosbrewery.com
* I don’t really know the first thing about homebrewing, and
maybe only the first or second thing about beer itself, besides
the fact that it can be delicious. Consult some experts and
stuff.
** Is that a phrase? It is now.
La flâneuse enjoying a libation at Claremont Craft Ales as a convivial canine longingly looks on.
Pedant now hiring
We need a new flâneuse or flâneur*! Could it be you? Please take the
following quiz (one point for each “yes” answer):
1. Are you excellent at deadlines and able to churn out columns of
roughly 800 words four times a year for *mumblemumble* an amount
of money that is higher than $0? (non-negotiable red letter dates:
August 1, November 1, February 15, and March 15.)
2. Do you have a strong, clear writing voice, a sharp creative instinct,
and a seemingly endless vocabulary? (If you’ve already managed to
convince someone else to pay you for your writing, add two points. If
you sleep with the Chicago Manual of Style under your pillow, add two
more.)
3. Are you confident enough as a writer that you love to get
constructive feedback from a thoughtful, sharp-as-a-tack editor?
4. Are you willing to develop story ideas in close collaboration with the
editorial team and Pedant staff and work together in the field?
5. Are you willing to go to new places and try new things and generally
leave yourself open to the possibility of public humiliation in order to
get the best photo and tell the best story? In other words, have you been
a grad student long enough to have lost all sense of shame? (I see you,
person who’s no longer shy about walking away from that private event
to which you may or may not have been invited with a heaping plate of
cheese.)
6. Do you have a terrific sense of humor and an unerring instinct for
when irreverence is appropriate?
7. Most important: do you have a fierce love for your fellow grad
students and your neighborhood, one that’s maybe not-so-hidden behind
a layer of sarcasm or humor or what-have-you, and are you bursting to
share that love with your CGU community?
If you scored seven or higher (before the bonus points), we want to
hear from you! Send a resume, a 600-800 word writing sample in the
style of the Flâneuse column, and a cover letter that describes your
qualifications and tells us how much longer you plan to be at CGU (story
ideas also welcome) to pedant@cgu.edu by June 15. Don’t delay! The
glamorous, high-stakes world of university journalism awaits!
*We’re open to changing the name of the column, so if you have another
alter-ego, pitch it to us, keeping in mind our commitment to highmindedness, humor, irreverence, and sophistication. (Fake nose and
mustache or other props optional.)
Leisure with dignity 9
student achievements
Tatiana Basanez
PhD, Psychology
Basanez served as lecturer at California State University, Los
Angeles during the winter and spring 2014 quarters. In addition, she
presented research on cross-cultural psychology at the Society for
Personality and Social Psychology conference in Austin this past
February.
Jennie Giron
PhD, Organizational Behavior; MBA,
leadership dual degree in DBOS and Drucker
This past fall, Giron created and facilitated a
seven-week women’s empowerment workshop
entitled the Girl’s Leadership Circle, for 20 atrisk female students at a local high school in
the Pomona School District. Using teachings
from positive psychology and leadership
literature, the girls engaged in exercises and
activities in which they discussed their values
and interests, created goals for their futures, made plans for how
to reach those goals, and discussed potential obstacles to them and
ways to overcome those challenges. Giron worked with the girls on
how they can use their strengths, resiliency from experiences, and
personal resources to fortify who they are and get them to where they
want to be.
Marissa Yenpasook
PhD, Education
Yenpasook, a third year student in the CGU/
San Diego State University joint PhD program
in education, recently had her manuscript
published in a nationally refereed journal. Her
article, “One, Two, Three, Go: Aiding Teachers
in Assessing for Student Depression” appears
in the Fall 2013 special technology issue of
the National Teacher Education Journal. The
article discusses resources, such as mobile
technology, that classroom teachers can use to effectively identify
students experiencing depression and ultimately increase support
for both students and teachers.
Julianne Johnson
PhD, History
Johnson recently presented her paper, “Flirty Fishing: Gender
Ethics and the Jesus Revolution” at the UCLA Center for the Study of
Women’s 2014 “Thinking Gender” conference. More than 40 scholars
from around the world participated.
Hajar Alarfaj
MA, Education Policy, Evaluation, and Reform
Alarfaj gave a panel presentation at the conference, “Embracing
Connections in Times of Global Stress.” The panel was called,
“Learning from High-Performing Countries: What works? What
10 Otium cum dignitate
can we learn from them?” His presentation, “Self-efficacy Beliefs
and Teacher Preparation and Practice in Singapore,” is about
Singaporean excellence in teacher preparation in relation to Albert
Bandura’s social-cognitive theory and how it affects teachers’
performance, in-job training, and commitment.
Professor Susan Paik, Dr. Stacy Kula (recent
grad), Zaynah Rahman, Erika Saito, and Matthew
A. Witenstein
School of Educational Studies
This research group has a forthcoming article this fall entitled
“Historical Perspectives on Diverse Asian American Communities:
Immigration, Incorporation, and Education.” It will appear in
Teachers College Record, volume 116, number 11 this November.
Teacher’s College Record is a leading research journal in the field
of education. The article provides a survey of the historical context
experienced by the 11 largest Asian American groups, and links
these variations to their current educational outcomes. The findings
illustrate the diversity that exists within and between Asian
American groups in terms of their immigration, incorporation, and
educational experiences.
Jon Haghayeghi
PhD, Behavioral Economics
Haghayeghi was recruited by ActiveTrader
magazine to write an article on trading
strategies based on a presentation he
delivered at the International Money Show in
Las Vegas. The article is about the presence
of seasonality in US equity markets and how
to trade such statistics. The article appears
in the March 2014 issue, volume 15, number
1 and is available at Barnes & Noble and
newsstands around the country.
Renee Rivera Duniven
PhD, Special Education
Duniven was selected to present at the 2014
Council for Exceptional Children (CEC)
annual conference in Philadelphia. Her poster
presentation is titled “Teacher Attitudes on
the Inclusion of Culturally and Linguistically
Diverse (CLD) Students with Learning
Disabilities (LD) in the General Education
Classroom.” In addition, Duniven was recently
awarded funding from the Special Education
Department to support her travel expenses to the conference this
year that was made possible from a generous gift from the Forcinelli
family.
Alonzo Campos, Renee Rivera Duniven, and Taryn
VanderPyl
PhD students, School of Educational Studies
Campos, Duniven, and VanderPyl were selected to present at the
2014 Critical Race Studies in Education Association (CRSEA) annual
conference at Vanderbilt University. Their presentation is titled “Cause
I Wanna Better Life for Me, for My Baby, for My Family: Exploring
Resiliency through Community Cultural Wealth of Parenting Teens.”
The CRSEA is a collective of scholar activists committed to the larger
project of racial justice in schools within the preschool to higher
education spectrum.
Emily Schuck
PhD, English
This June, Schuck will be presenting her paper
“The Fox in the Woods” this June in London at
the British Association of Modernist Studies’
conference, “Modernism Now.” The paper
examines the role of nature in D.H. Lawrence’s
novella The Fox.
Kevin Riel
PhD, English
The Australian journal Going Down Swinging
recently published Riel’s poem, “Initiation,”
in volume 35. Check out the journal’s website,
which includes stories, poems, articles, and
podcasts, at
www.goingdownswinging.org.au/site.
Jacqueline Johnson
MA, English
Johnson was awarded a CGU Friedman Grant in March that will fund
her participation in the 2013 Pacific Ancient and Modern Language
Association conference in San Diego, where she presented her paper
“Barbara Pym’s A Few Green Leaves: A Satire of Small-town England’s
Opposition to Coexistence.”
Congratulations to the
2014 Friedman Grant
Recipients
Whitney Braun
Andrea Breiling
Jen Buck
Maria Lenor Cadena
Alan Clark
Christina Danko
Jodi Davis
Ciara Ennis
Thomas Evans
Matthew Fisher
Foothill poetry journal
Melissa Gholamnejad
Hilary Gordon
Joshua Jensen
Jacqueline Johnson
Lalruatkima
Daniel Lanza
Anjeanette LeBoeuf
Abdul Mazid
David Olali
Kelsey Picken
Robert Rowland
Ashley Shew
Jennifer Smith
Christopher Smith
Daniel Solarz
Kyle Thompson
Angela Tilley
Mario Tofano
Jeff Turner
Caeli Waldron
William Walker
To submit your recent achievement of the academic or
vocational variety, please send your name, department, degree
seeking, and achievement of no more than one paragraph in
the format of the achievements on this page to
pedant@cgu.edu. You may also include a high-resolution,
professional-quality headshot.
“Piled Higher and Deeper” by Jorge Cham
www.phdcomics.com
Leisure with dignity 11
Claremont Graduate University
calendar
April 30 Julia Sushytska will give a public lecture entitled “Internal
Strangers: Deleuze and Identity in Ukraine Today” in the Board of Trustees
Room in Harper Hall at 7:00 p.m.
May 1 The Office of Student Affairs invites graduate students of color to a
lunch discussion from 11:45 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. Talithia Williams of Harvey
Mudd and Denise Hayes of the consortium will discuss “Graduate Student
Development: Publications and Presentations” at the Administrative Campus
Center (101 S. Mills Avenue). RSVP to maryh@cuc.claremont.edu.
May 2 Join the Queer Resource Center for a Lavender Graduation at Little
Bridges on the Pomona Campus at 3:30 p.m. Dr. Van Bailey, director of
BGLTQ Student Life at Harvard University, will deliver a keynote. Reception
to follow.
May 6 For a Transdisciplinary Studies special event, Dr. Marcia Inhorn,
professor of anthropology and international affairs at Yale University,
will give a talk titled “The New Arab Man: Emergent masculinities,
technologies, and Islam in the Middle East.” Join her at 4:00 p.m. in the
Board of Trustees Room in Harper Hall.
May 9 Looking for a reason to stop staring at your computer screen and
thesis analytics? Get outside and enjoy the Rancho Santa Ana Botanic
Garden for free on National Public Gardens Day.
Get rowdy with the GSC for the End-of-Year Party in Des Combs Quad at
8:00 p.m.
May 12–16 Final exam week; remember that the end is in sight.
May 17 Commencement, congrats, grads! Take off your hats and jackets for
the class of 2014.
May 19 First day of module 1 classes; summer classes at CGU range
from language classes (to help you with that pesky Latin exam), digital
humanities, and even travel courses. Be sure to check your portal at www.
mycampus.cgu.edu to make sure you’re not missing out on some summer
school you might regret.
May 26 Memorial Day, campus closed.
July 4 Independence Day, campus closed.
July 7 First day of module 2 classes.
September 1 Labor Day, campus closed.
September 2 First day of fall semester; sharpen those pencils, get rid of
that summer time sadness with some anti-anxiety meds deep breaths, and
gear up for another year!
12 Otium cum dignitate
e v e nt i n focus
May 9:
End-of-Year Party
The end of the semester is exciting, exhausting, or even
existential. Perhaps you bled enough at your typewriter this
month to squeeze out a chapter of your dissertation. Maybe
you put the final touches on a presentation. Hell, maybe you
just finished your final papers without blowing a proverbial
gasket or not-so-proverbial blood vessel. Whatever the case
is, it’s likely that you deserve to celebrate. The GSC endof-year party is here to help you do just that. The theme is
masquerade, so trade your glasses for contacts (or vice-versa—nothing like the ol’ Clark Kent disguise), and join your
colleagues for a night on the town (ahem, Des Combs Quad)
at 8:00 p.m. for an evening of libation, celebration, and
masqueration. The GSC will pour you a hard-earned drink.
Rinse and repeat (but be sure to get home safely). Cheers.
graduate tips
CGU Professor David E. Drew
and the late Professor Paul Gray,
authors of What they Didn’t Teach
You in Graduate School: 199
Helpful Hints for Success in Your
Academic Career, have been kind
enough to allow us to publish one
helpful hint from their book in
each issue. This is so that one day
you don’t raise your fist in the air
and curse CGU for not teaching you
to . . .
127. LEARN HOW TO WRITE CLEARLY
Some graduate programs do their best to stamp out this skill,
persuading doctoral candidates that a ten-syllable word is
better than a two syllable word. Reviewers are more likely to
perservere to the end of your journal submission or your grant
proposal if they can easily follow what you say.