Pitzer in the News
2001-2002 Academic Year

New President Marks Depth of Students
Los Angeles Times
Aug. 27, 2002
Pitzer College's fifth president, Laura Skandera Trombley, plans to enhance programs at the College while encouraging the involvement and activism for which the school is known.

Claremont Chief Pulls Back Ticket Directive; Pitzer Student Withdraws Complaint
Los Angeles Times
Aug. 9, 2002
Police Chief Roy Brown was forced to issue a new directive to officers about writing traffic tickets after a top county prosecutor said a previous policy may have broken state law. Pitzer student Chris Bray had filed a formal complaint against the chief, but withdrew it Aug. 8, saying he was satisfied with the new memorandum.

Student Battles Ticket Directive
Los Angeles Times
July 25, 2002
Chris Bray, a 34-year-old student at Pitzer College, is challenging Claremont Police Chief Roy Brown over a directive he issued this spring requiring officers to write more tickets. Bray says the chief's memo amounts to an illegal quota system. Bray has filed formal complaints with the Police Department and Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley to block Brown's edict.

Sagehens Lose Football Assistant Connolly
Los Angeles Times
July 24, 2002
B.J. Connolly, Pomona-Pitzer's defensive coordinator for the last seven seasons, has been named to the same job at Cal Lutheran. During Connolly's tenure, the Sagehens went 37-22 and his unit ranked in the top 20 nationally in total defense twice.

Cougars Take Big Bite out of Sagehens
Los Angeles Times
July 18, 2002
Coach Paul Svagdis' success with the Pomona-Pitzer baseball program earns him the job at Azusa Pacific. Svagdis, who was the SCIAC Coach of the Year last season, resigned in June after 17 seasons with the Sagehens.

Conference Puts Girls in Political State of Mind
Los Angeles Times
June 29, 2002
Girls State, an event designed to acquaint students with the workings of government, brings 505 young women to the campus of Pitzer College for a fifth consecutive year.

The Nature of Nurture: How the Environment Can Shape Our Genes
The Wall Street Journal
June 14, 2002
Developmental psychologist David S. Moore's book, "The Dependent Gene: The Fallacy of 'Nature vs. Nurture,'" is cited in Sharon Begley's Science Journal column.

Cortez Leaning Toward School Over Cubs
Los Angeles Times
June 11, 2002
Pomona-Pitzer slugger Jose Cortez opted to stay home this summer rather than play in the New England Collegiate Baseball League like last year. The Don Lugo High grad also decided to take a pass on the Chicago Cubs after they selected him in the 44th round of last week's Major League Baseball amateur draft. "I don't see them making an offer that's going to keep me from going back [to school]," Cortez said. "My mind is set on going back. I'm fortunate enough to go to a school that made it an easy decision."

Southern Hospitality: Jane Fonda's Adopted Daughter Helps Sudan's Lost Boys Find a Home in Atlanta
People Magazine
June 10, 2002
Pitzer alumna Mary Williams '90, founder of the Lost Boys Foundation, is featured in an article detailing her work with young men orphaned during civil war in the Sudan. Williams' foundation is helping some of these young men find employment and adjust to life in America.

Outgoing President Stayed True to Roots
Los Angeles Times
June 1, 2002
President Marilyn Chapin Massey is profiled in a story about her 10 years at Pitzer, a college whose activism mirrors her own dedication to civil rights.

Sagehens Will Make Texas Their New Baseball Home: West Regional's Top Seed Faces Tough Competition
Los Angeles Times
May 13, 2002
The Sagehens, named the No. 1 seed in the Division II baseball West Regional on May 13, travel to Georgetown, Texas, where they will join Southwestern, Concordia-Austin and Trinity in the NCAA tournament. Pomona-Pitzer (35-5) was ranked No. 5 in the nation by the ABCA after finishing undefeated in SCIAC play. The team is led by the conference's two-time Player of the Year, Jose Cortez, who has a .510 batting average with 16 home runs. Pomona-Pitzer had 10 all-conference selections.

Making a Scene: Members of College Improvisational Group Without a Box Learn How to Develop Comedy
Los Angeles Times
May 9, 2002
College improvisational group Without a Box is profiled. The group of budding comics, made up of students from Pitzer, Pomona, Claremont McKenna and Harvey Mudd colleges, is in its 15th year.

Worldly Artist will Share His Perspectives
Los Angeles Times
May 1, 2002
Making his second extended visit to Pitzer College, singer and folklorist Utah Phillips is profiled.

Students Get Space to Explore
Los Angeles Times
April 27, 2002
Pitzer junior Molly Cox is quoted in a story about being part of Professor Harvey Wichman's class at Claremont McKenna College, which presented an International Space Station Space Explorer Experience simulator at the fifth annual meeting of the nonprofit Space Tourism Society. The simulator was critiqued by actual astronauts.

What Distinguishes Us from the Chimps? Actually, Not Much
Wall Street Journal
April 12, 2002
Psychology Professor David S. Moore is quoted in a Science Journal column by Sharon Begley. The column is a response to a study that appeared in the journal Science, which unveiled the first genetic comparison between human brains and those of our closest evolutionary relatives, the chimpanzees. The study says that only a few genetic changes spell the difference between chimps and humans. Moore says that DNA, like neurons in a baby's brain, responds to its environment. He is quoted from his new book, "The Dependent Gene: The Fallacy of 'Nature vs. Nurture'": "If [outside] events can affect hormone levels, and hormones can control genes, then the events of our daily lives can effectively control our genes."

Judge Yang Nominated as L.A.'s U.S. Attorney
Los Angeles Times
April 2, 2002
Superior Court Judge Debra W. Yang, who graduated from Pitzer in 1981, has been nominated by President Bush to become U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles, the White House said on April 1. Yang, 42, would become the first Asian American to hold the seven-county post, the largest federal prosecutor's office outside Washington, D.C.

Mask Artist will Face Tribal Traditions
Los Angeles Times
April 2, 2002
Pitzer College senior Siobhan O'Hara talks about her plans to study the mask-making traditions of four African tribes through a one-year Watson Fellowship, which recently was awarded to the resident of Anchorage, Alaska.

DaimlerChrysler Settles 'Lemon' Suit
Los Angeles Times
March 22, 2002
Pitzer economics Professor Harvey Botwin is quoted in a story about DaimlerChrysler settling a long-running lawsuit brought by the California Department of Motor Vehicles, agreeing to pay the DMV $325,000 in a "lemon" law case that alleged the auto maker resold defective vehicles to consumers. "That's truly a superficial amount and really a victory for Chrysler, if they get away without admitting guilt," says Botwin.

Pitzer Student Earns All-American Honors
Los Angeles Times
March 22, 2002
Pomona-Pitzer's Ben Komer failed to win an NCAA title on March 21, but he earned All-American honors at the NCAA Division III men's swimming championships in Oxford, Ohio. The senior finished fifth in the 50-yard freestyle on the first day of competition. Komer, who qualified third, had a time of 20.83 seconds in the final, and was the only swimmer from an area school to reach the finals.

The Ultimate Gamble: With a Radical Redesign, BMW is Tinkering with the Mechanics of Success
Los Angeles Times
March 3, 2002
Pitzer College sociology Professor Rudi Volti, who teaches a "Cars and Culture" course, comments on the new BMW 7-Series design, which features iDrive, a system that allows drivers to set multiple controls with a mouse-like knob on the center console.

Sagehens Wrap Up Title
Los Angeles Times
Feb. 22, 2002
Pomona-Pitzer's women's basketball team clinches its first SCIAC crown since 1999.

Piano Expert Understands the Keys to a Successful Tuning or Restoration
Los Angeles Times
Feb. 4, 2002
Pitzer College alumnus Vincent Wukmir '86, who has been tuning and restoring pianos for 25 years, is profiled in a feature called "Working."

Pomona's Day Labor Center Addresses Needs of Community
Los Angeles Times
Jan. 28, 2002
Pitzer College sociology and Chicano Studies Professor Jose Calderon contributes to an "At Issue" piece about Pomona's day labor center. The College's Center for California Cultural and Social Issues also is noted in the story.

Gay TV Channel Can Target Ignored Issues
Newsday
Jan. 28, 2002
Peter Nardi, a sociology professor at Pitzer College and author of "Gay Men's Friendships: Invincible Communities," writes an opinion piece about Showtime and MTV's joint plan to start a gay cable channel.

Grant Will Fund Pitzer Diversity Initiative
Los Angeles Times
Jan. 25, 2002
Pitzer College is using a four-year, $850,0000 grant from the James Irvine Foundation to fund an ambitious campus diversity initiative that goes beyond the numbers to take "a much broader institutional look at ourselves" and opportunities to implement change, a top administrator said.

Where the Twains Meet: Iconic Figure, Family Man
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Jan. 11, 2002
Laura Skandera Trombley, vice president for academic affairs and dean of faculty at Coe College in Iowa -- and Pitzer College's next president as of June 30, 2002 -- discusses her experiences working with Ken Burns on his documentary, "Mark Twain," which recently debuted on PBS. Skandera Trombley served as a consultant and appeared in the film.

Raising Their Eyes to Meet a Victim's
Los Angeles Times
Dec. 18, 2001
Ruett and Rhonda Foster, who graduated from Pitzer College in 1981 and 1982, respectively, discuss how the tragic 1997 loss of their 7-year-old son to gun violence has led to working with inmates at the California Youth Authority as part of a Victim Impact Program.

Bin Laden Bounty Comes with Complications
ABC News
Dec. 17, 2001
Pitzer College political studies Professor Dana Ward discusses cultural differences between the United States and Afghanistan when it comes to bounty hunting in the war on terrorism.

Frequent Fliers Get Back Up
Los Angeles Times
Dec. 15, 2001
Pitzer College alumnus Peter Van Zandt '85 is featured in a story about how the events of Sept. 11 have affected travelers.

Pitzer College Receives Endowment
Los Angeles Times
Nov. 27, 2001
Pitzer College received a $2.5-million gift from trustee Susan Pritzker and her husband Nicholas, the president of Hyatt Development Corp., to create a scholarship program that could provide up to 60 scholarships a year, college officials announced Nov. 26.

Pitzer Alumna Candidate for U.S. Attorney
Los Angeles Times
Nov. 19, 2001
Santa Monica Superior Court Judge Debra W. Yang (Pitzer '81) has emerged as the Bush administration's likely choice for U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, center of the nation's most populous federal judicial district, several Republican political sources said Nov. 16.

President-Elect Named for Pitzer College
Los Angeles Times
Nov. 13, 2001
Laura Skandera Trombley, a Mark Twain scholar and chief academic officer at Coe College, a private liberal-arts college in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, says she wants to raise Pitzer's national profile. Skandera Trombley will succeed Marilyn Chapin Massey as president beginning July 1, 2002.

Claremont Colleges Site of Hunger Strike
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
Nov. 9, 2001
About 70 students at the Claremont Colleges wearing colored headbands and armbands fasted and walked the campus on Nov. 8 in silent protest against the U.S. military campaign in Afghanistan. Students took part in a 56-hour water-only Fast for Peace that began Nov. 7 at 9 a.m. and ended at 5 p.m. with a rally at Pitzer College.

Pitzer's Founding President Dies at 85
Los Angeles Times
Nov. 1, 2001
John W. Atherton, founding president of Pitzer College, writer and teacher of English literature, died Oct. 30. He was 85.

Avery Dennison Elects Pitzer Trustee as New Director
Source: Avery Dennison Corporation
Oct. 30, 2001
Pitzer trustee Bruce Karatz has been elected director of the Pasadena, Calif.-based Avery Dennison Corporation. Karatz, 56, is chairman, president and CEO of Los Angeles-based KB Home, one of America's largest homebuilders. The appointment was effective Nov. 1.

Will Sagehens be Ready by 2003?
Los Angeles Times
Oct. 13, 2001
With Pomona-Pitzer's football program scheduled to return to the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) in 2003, the Sagehens will have to make some tough decisions in the near future about how they will prepare for the move.

Protesters Target U.S. Airstrikes
Los Angeles Times
Oct. 12, 2001
Claremont Colleges students and community members rally to denounce bombing of Afghanistan.

Afghans Explain Taliban Regime
Los Angeles Times
Oct. 11, 2001
Pitzer visiting Professor Majid Rahnema, who also is an Iranian exile, speaks at a CGU talk billed as "A Conversation on War, Terrorism, Human Rights and Religion."

The Classicist
Los Angeles Times Magazine
Sept. 9, 2001
Pitzer trustee Paul C. Hudson, president and CEO of Broadway Federal Savings & Loan Assn., is profiled as "a sharp dresser in L.A.'s business and civic milieus."

Students Take Plea Bargain on Charges From Campus Protests
Los Angeles Times
Sept. 5, 2001
A report on the outcome of the arrests of 15 students from The Claremont Colleges, including five from Pitzer, at protests last spring over plans to build on the Bernard Biological Field Station. The students accepted a plea bargain: the charge was reduced to an infaction and 40 hours of community service work was assigned.

Top 10 Activist Campuses: Giving it the Old College Outcry
Mother Jones Magazine
September/October 2001
Pitzer is ranked No. 2 in this year's list of Top 10 Activist Campuses compiled by Mother Jones, citing student protests last spring over plans to build a new college on the Bernard Biological Field Station. The field station is a nearby ecological preserves owned by The Claremont Colleges and used for teaching and research in biology and environmental studies.

Confessions of a Prep School College Counselor
The Atlantic Monthly (cover story)
September 2001
Pitzer is cited in a piece offering tips on playing the college admission "game" at selective institutions.

Gene Study Seeks Secret of Long Life
Los Angeles Times
Aug. 28, 2001
Pitzer alumus Thomas Perls '82 discusses his search for the longevity gene in human DNA. "We're not trying to find the fountain of youth," said Dr. Perls, one of the leaders of the research team based at Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. "If anything, we are trying to find the fountain of aging well."

Only in L.A.
Los Angeles Times
Aug. 24, 2001
L.A. Times humor columnist Steve Harvey looks at the lighter side of Pitzer's Princeton Review rankings after talking with a parent and student.