Podcasts about Pomona College

On April 9, 2026, Dr. Robin S. Brooks delivered the Keynote EU Democracy and Security Lecture at the 24th Undergraduate Research Conference on the European Union, hosted by the European Union Center of California at Scripps College. This podcast is a recording of this talk, titled, 'Euro-Atlantic Values' and the Future of Transatlantic Security. Dr. Robin S. Brooks, Robin Brooks is a Visiting Fellow in Global Policy and Governance at Pomona College.

Dr. Paul Bendheim joins host Ron Aaron and guest co-host Tina Smith to talk about providing care using a simple, evidence-based lifestyle on this edition of Caregiver SOS. About Dr. Bendheim Dr. Paul Bendheim is a board-certified neurologist, author, and founder of BrainSavers®, Inc., a company dedicated to helping people reduce their risk of Alzheimer’s dementia by strengthening and enhancing brain function and overall health through evidence-based lifestyle interventions. His work focuses on preventing cognitive decline and promoting brain resilience in aging populations. He serves as a Clinical Professor of Neurology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, where he helps educate the next generation of physicians. A native of Phoenix, Arizona, Dr. Bendheim earned his undergraduate degree cum laude in art history from Pomona College, followed by a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Arizona College of Medicine – Tucson, where he graduated with AOA honors. He completed his neurology residency and a research postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco. Over his distinguished career, Dr. Bendheim has held leadership roles in academic medicine, biotechnology, and clinical research, including serving as Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer at Mindset Biopharmaceuticals and Medical Director at Teva Pharmaceuticals Copaxone Division. His contributions center on Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias, recognizing early in his career that lifestyle modification is a powerful, evidence-based tool for prevention. As founder and CEO of BrainSavers®, Dr. Bendheim led the development of the company’s hallmark program, the Brain+Body Total Fitness Program, an evidence-based framework combining mental, physical, nutritional, socialization, sleep hygiene and stress management to foster cognitive vitality and overall health. He is also the author of “The Brain Training Revolution: A Proven Workout for Healthy Brain Aging,” which details practical strategies for maintaining mental sharpness throughout life. Dr. Bendheim lives in Phoenix with his wife, Judith Amiel-Bendheim, a ceramic and jewelry artist. He enjoys gardening, fly fishing, tennis, reading, and art, and takes pride in spending time with his children, Jessica and Daniel, and granddaughters, Audrey and Amelia. Hosts Ron Aaron and Carol Zernial, and their guests talk about Caregiving and how to best cope with the stresses associated with it. Learn about "Caregiver SOS" and the "Teleconnection Hotline" programs.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this podcast, we interview philosopher Dr. John K. Roth to discuss his latest book, ”Saving the American Dream: Meditations for Dark Times.” Roth explores the origins of the American Dream, its dual nature as both an aspiration and a nightmare, and the urgent calls to revive it amid authoritarian threats in 2026. Our conversation links Dr. Roth's Holocaust scholarship to America's ideals. Key topics include the Dream's roots in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution, its subversion by individualism and exceptionalism, and intersections with Nazi history as a warning. Dr. Roth shares personal stories: his Fulbright lectures in Austria, Elie Wiesel's influence, and founding Claremont McKenna's human rights center. They critique politicization—from Trump-era rhetoric to Supreme Court decisions eroding voting rights—and debate global contexts like WWII atrocities. About the Book “Saving the American Dream” offers 10 meditations to combat poverty, corruption, and inequality: diminish poverty, grow jobs, empower education, promote pluralism, and more. Roth urges Gen Z resistance, echoing MLK and Marx: understand the world, then change Author Biography Dr. John K. Roth is Edward J. Sexton Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Claremont McKenna College, where he taught from 1966 to 2006 and founded the Center for the Study of the Holocaust, Genocide, and Human Rights (now Mgrublian Center). A Yale Ph.D. graduate (B.A. Pomona College), Roth has authored/edited over 60 books on Holocaust studies, ethics, and American philosophy. His work spans Fulbright lectures, visiting professorships in Japan and Israel, and awards like U.S. National Professor of the Year.   Purchase the book: https://kingsbookstore.com/book/9798385249206 Link to The Mgrublian Center for Human Rights: https://youtu.be/-UuX1xuaiiE Link to The Avett Brothers - We Americans (Official Music Video): https://youtu.be/0MKm9TB9b6s?si=g3kshHngBHPQd480 Greg's Blog: http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/ Pat's Substack: https://patcummings.substack.com/   #savingtheamericandream#johnkroth#meditationsfordarktimes#americandreampodcast#americandemocracy#holocauststudies#genocidestudies#humanrights#martinlutherkingjr#trumperapolitics#authoritarianisminamerica#genzactivism#progressivepolitics#politicalphilosophy#ushistory#heathercoxrichardson#claremontmckennacollege#israelgazadiscussion#PatCummings#PatrickCummings#GregGodels#ZZBlog#ComingFromLeftField#Podcast#zzblog#mltoday

In a chaotic Pomona College debate marked by constant interruptions and deep voter frustration, Steve Hilton delivered the strongest performance by confronting Sacramento's failures head-on, Matt Mahan stood out as the most pragmatic Democrat, while Xavier Becerra and Tom Steyer turned in the weakest, most disconnected showings as 64% of Californians now believe the California Dream is no longer attainable, Drew Allen, The Daily Signal's California Contributor, argues on today's edition commentary.

We're less than a week away from the start of voting in California's June primary and the race for governor remains up for grabs. On Tuesday night, the leading candidates made their pitch to voters in a CBS debate at Pomona College - east of Los Angeles, and things got messy. Guest: Guy Marzorati, KQED In a move immigration and privacy advocates call a “betrayal,” California is preparing to share detailed information about its driver's license holders with a national database that connects DMVs. Opponents say the move could put more than a million undocumented people who have California driver's licenses at risk. Reporter: Khari Johnson, CalMatters The city of Marina in Monterey County is reactivating a 30-year-old desalination plant to help boost water supply. Reporter: Ngozi Cole, KAZU Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My watch-along, live reaction to the CBS California Gubernatorial Debate at Pomona College and post-debate analysis. To hear more, visit theandressegovia.substack.com

David Fleming speaks with Matt Pavey, Director of Programming at Bridges Auditorium on the campus of Pomona College. We'll hear about the history, some renovations along the way as well as some REALLY cool features - and a bit about what's to come.

The Trump administration says it's “restructuring” the U.S. Forest Service. Critics say it looks a lot more like sabotage and part of a larger movement to gut federal stewardship and make public lands easier to exploit. Char Miller, environmental historian & professor at Pomona College, joins Ian Hoch to talk about the implications of this move.

Ian Hoch speaks with Char Miller, environmental historian & professor at Pomona College, about the Trump administration saying it's “restructuring” the U.S. Forest Service.

On today's show, Ian Hoch speaks with Char Miller, environmental historian & professor at Pomona College, about the Trump administration saying it's “restructuring” the U.S. Forest Service. Also, Ian Hoch drops the 2 O'clock News Bomb and talks about the supposed Iran "peace talks" that could or could not be happening, maybe. Then, Ian asks if there's any music your children have introduced you to that you enjoy and talks about the barrage of weird flavor combinations continues to hit grocery shelves. Finally, Dr. Corey Hebert, LSU Health New Orleans, joins Ian to discuss the norovirus.

This week on Blocked and Reported, Katie is joined by Chronicle of Higher Ed reporter Emma Pettit to discuss an internal civil war at Pomona College, where the literature department spiraled into years of accusations, investigations, and a whole lot of angry emails. Plus, we revisit New College of Florida, and discuss what Emma got wrong in 2020 and what she's learned since.Some Scholars Have Long Talked About Abolishing the Police. Now People Are Listening. What Comes Next?The College That Conservatives Took OverWhen a Department Self-Destructs This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.blockedandreported.org/subscribe

The MidPacker Pod is part of the Freetrail network of Podcasts.Join the Newsletter at: ⁠MidPack Musings SubStack⁠⁠Support the MidPacker Pod on ⁠Patreon⁠.⁠Check Out MPP Merch Make sure you leave us a rating and review wherever you get your pods.Looking for 1:1 Ultra Running Coaching? Check out Troy's Coaching PageSTOKED TO PARTNER WITH  PLAY ON RELIEF - 20% off your first orderTRAINING PEAKS - 20% off a premium annual subscriptionVACATION RACES - 15% off any Ultra, Half Marathon, or TrailfestUSE PROMO CODE MIDPACKER FOR A SWEET DISCOUNT⁠WAHOO FITNESS⁠ -  Use Code MIDPACK When you pick up a Wahoo KICKR RUN get a free KICKR HEADWIND smart Bluetooth fan. Remember to add the HEADWIND to the cart and the code will apply to discount.“What do I want to be today and what do I want to be when I'm 90?”In this episode, Troy Meadows sits down with Jordan Battaglia, a former college football player turned entrepreneur, coach, and co-founder of PlayOn Relief. What starts as a conversation about pain relief quickly turns into a deeper dive into performance, durability, and what it really means to train for the long game.Guest Spotlight: Born and raised in San Diego, Jordan grew up immersed in sports and eventually played college football at Pomona College.Initially on the path to law school, his journey shifted after a family business setback and a pivotal back injury during his final football season.That injury led to the creation of PlayOn Relief, a natural, long-lasting pain relief solution built from his family's original pharmaceutical technology.Now a coach with nearly a decade of experience, Jordan focuses on helping athletes build strength, improve mobility, and stay active for life.Key Takeaways:Solve your own problems first. Great ideas often come from real needLongevity matters more than short-term gains. Train for who you want to be at 90Consistency beats intensity when it comes to strength and mobilitySmall habits, even 5 to 10 minutes a day, can lead to big performance gainsKey Topics CoveredThe origin story of PlayOn Relief and its delivery systemWhy most pain relief products fall shortStrength training for ultra runners and why it mattersMobility as a missing link in endurance performanceSimple exercises to improve joint health and durabilityJordan's Links: IG: @jordanbattagPlayOn Relief - https://playonrelief.comIG: @playonreliefRelevant Linkshttps://playonrelief.com/pages/aboutushttps://playonrelief.com/pages/the-sciencePartner Links: PlayOn Relief - https://playonrelief.comProven Pain Relief for People Who Refuse to Stop!All Natural, Fast Acting, Long Lasting, Targeted ReliefUse MIDPACKER for 20% off your first orderTraining Peaks A training app as versatile as you. Start your free trial at  https://www.trainingpeaks.com/midpackerUse MIDPACKER at checkout for 20% off an Annual Premium SubscriptionVacation Races - https://www.vacationraces.comEpic Races on public lands near the most iconic National Park in the US.Use MIDPACKER at checkout for 15% the registration of any Ultra, Half, or TrailfestWahoo Fitness - https://www.wahoofitness.comKICKR RUN invites the rhythm, flow, and freedom of outdoor running inside.It's not running indoors. It's running, reimagined.Run Your WayBuy the Wahoo KICKR RUN use code MIDPACK to get a free KICKR HEADWIND smart Bluetooth fan. Remember to add the HEADWIND to the cart and the code will apply to discount.⁠Run Trail Life⁠ - https://runtraillife.comFind Official MPP Merch on RTL!!Use MIDPACKERPOD to double the donation from your purchase. Visit RunTrailLife.com to check out our line of Hats and Organic cotton T's.⁠Freetrail⁠ - https://freetrail.comVisit Freetrail.com to sign up today.Jordan Battaglia, PlayOn Relief, strength training, mobility, joint health, ultra running, endurance training, injury prevention, recovery, arnica, trail running, performance, longevity

Clay's conversation with Char Miller, an endowed professor of environmental history at Pomona College and author of more than a dozen highly regarded books. How did America develop its public lands? Who were the key players in the formation of National Parks, Monuments, Forests, Wildlife Refuges, and Game Preserves? How fragile is the public domain at a time when the Trump administration seeks to scale back, privatize, and permit mining and other industrial activities? The conversation includes a segment on Native American sovereignty, the Land Back Movement, and the work of David Treuer, who has suggested that the National Parks and Monuments be returned to Native ownership or, at a minimum, Native co-management. The discussion also assessed the future of the Colorado River system, including the status of Glen Canyon Dam in Arizona. This episode was recorded on January 27, 2026.

On January 29, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, journalist, and author of "Autocracy, Inc." Anne Applebaum and journalist, lawyer, and founder of the "Popular Information" newsletter Judd Legum joined moderator Charlie Sykes, author of the "To the Contrary" newsletter and podcast, for a timely discussion on how political power is being reshaped in the U.S. and globally—and what it means for democracy.The conversation examined how democratic institutions are increasingly undermined through gradual, legal changes that concentrate power, weaken accountability, and reward loyalty over principle. Speakers emphasized that the greatest danger lies not in any single leader, but in systems that normalize corruption, disinformation, and politicized governance.Ukraine emerged as a critical test of democratic resolve, highlighting the global stakes of the moment.The discussion concluded with a clear warning and reminder: democracy does not sustain itself—it survives only when citizens choose to defend it.CALL TO ACTION:Support Joyce Uptown Foodshelf (https://www.joyceuptownfoodshelf.org/)Support MIRAC (https://www.givemn.org/organization/M...)Check out Anne's newsletter “Open Letters, from Anne Applebaum”: https://anneapplebaum.substack.com/Explore Judd's newsletter “Popular Information”: https://popular.info/Visit Charlie's newsletter and podcast “To the Contrary”: https://charliesykes.substack.com/ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:Anne Applebaum is staff writer for The Atlantic and author of the best-selling 2020 book "Twilight of Democracy: The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism" and her latest book "Autocracy, Inc." Applebaum is also a senior fellow at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and the SNF Agora Institute, where she co-directs Arena, a program on disinformation and 21st-century propaganda.Judd Legum is the founder and author of "Popular Information", an independent newsletter dedicated to accountability journalism. Popular Information won the 2020 Online Journalism Award for Excellence in Newsletters, and the 2025 David Nyhan Prize for Public Policy Journalism. Its reporting was credited by Bloomberg for bringing a “political reckoning” to corporate America. Previously, Legum founded and served as editor-in-chief of "ThinkProgress", a progressive media outlet. In 2008, Legum was the research director for Hillary Clinton's first presidential campaign. He is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center and Pomona College.Charlie Sykes is the author of the Substack newsletter, "To the Contrary", and contributes to The Atlantic and MSNBC. His most recent book, "How the Right Lost Its Mind", published by St. Martin's Press, was released in October 2017.Sykes has written for The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Weekly Standard, The Washington Post, Commentary, The Wall Street Journal, Politico, The Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, Time.com, USA Today, National Review, The New York Review of Books, the New York Daily News, and other national publications. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit bigtentnews.substack.com

Guest Liturgist & Preacher: Lorraine & Chris Harry This Sunday we join Lorraine and Chris Harry on Chris' sermon "Bon Appétit: Meals Worth Remembering, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner." Chris and Lorraine Harry have served as campus ministers at The Claremont Colleges since 2004 and 2000, respectively. The group they staff, Claremont Christian Fellowship, is a queer-affirming, justice-seeking, question-loving community, with students from all seven colleges. They both majored in English at Pomona College, and Chris also holds a Master of Arts in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary. They live in Claremont with their 16-year-old daughter, Audrey, and beloved cat, Momo. In addition to their career in ministry, Lorraine works in communications at Pomona College, and Chris runs an electronics import business.

00:08 — Miguel R. Tinker Salas is Professor Emeritus of History at Pomona College. He is the author of The Enduring Legacy: Oil, Culture and Society in Venezuela. 00:33 — Renee Saldana is Press Secretary for SEIU-UHW. 00:45 — Aisha Wahab is California State Senator representing Senate district 10. The post Trump Meets María Corina Machado; Plus, California Billionaires Tax; California No Kings Act appeared first on KPFA.

"That's where I think we've missed a trick. And that's really where I have focused my entrepreneurship and energy and time and talent"Bame Pule is the chief executive of private equity firm Africa Lighthouse Capital, based in Botswana. He is a graduate of Pomona College in California and received his MBA degree from Harvard Business School. He worked at Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, Citigroup, some of the biggest names in finance. But we wanted to find out why he decided to move back to the African continent, even though he was on a fast track in the United States. (Interview from 2025)Plus: Why risk premium is often mispriced

Unclaimed deaths are on the rise. Pamela Prickett, associate professor of sociology at Pomona College, examines how some have come together to honor them. Pamela Prickett is an associate professor of sociology at Pomona College and former journalist. She is the author of two books about Los Angeles, including The Unclaimed: Abandonment and Hope in the City […]

Welcome back to the College Essay Guy Podcast. Today's episode is hosted by Tom Campbell, Community Manager & Senior Essay Specialist at College Essay Guy and a former admission officer at Pomona College and Holy Cross. We've polled the thousands of students who participate in our live webinars and courses and ask what they're favorite subject is, and consistently, STEM reigns supreme. By a lot. In this episode, Tom sits down with Jay Zhang, college counselor at College Essay Guy, to dig into the biggest questions students and families have about preparing for and applying to STEM programs. Together, they explore: What students should know about STEM coursework, rigor, and testing—and where there's more flexibility than most people realize How to think about majors, specialization, and which colleges to consider beyond the usual short list Common STEM student archetypes, including late starters, students unsure which direction to take, those in high-pressure STEM "bubbles," and students worried that elite summer programs are the only path forward And more.  Jay Zhang holds a B.S. in Microbiology from UCLA and an M.A. in School Counseling from NYU, and he's spent over a decade helping STEM students navigate selective admissions—especially within the UC system. He's also a former UCLA scholarship reader and interviewer, so he's seen exactly what works. Jay brings a strength-based, big-picture approach to STEM planning—and when he's not counseling students, you'll probably find him hiking at Crystal Cove or driving all the way from Orange County to LA for his haircut (hey, clearly, this is a man who knows his priorities). We hope you enjoy the episode.    Play-by-Play: 2:14 – What are some early memories of Jay and Tom learning STEM in school?  5:44 – Jay shares his background and where he grew up   7:55 – What are some high school courses that students interested in STEM could plan to take?  11:33 – What should STEM students know about standardized testing? 14:33 – How can students better understand different STEM pathways and majors?  17:55 – What are some lesser-known colleges or programs that students could explore?  24:03 – What are some strategies for broadening a student's college list? 30:01 – How can students balance prestige with selectivity and other factors that are important to them in finding the right fit? 32:46 – How can students explore diverse interests in STEM? 38:52 – What can high school juniors and seniors  do to show interest in STEM if they're just getting started? 46:11 – What helps students in competitive STEM "bubbles" move beyond comparison culture? 50:26 – How can students build on personal experiences that spark their interest in STEM? 53:30 – How important are prestigious summer programs for students interested in STEM? 59:25 – Closing thoughts   Resources: Firestarter Exercise What is STEM? STEM Majors  College Essay Guy's Personal Statement Resources College Essay Guy's College Application Hub  

0:10 – We start today's coverage in Venezuela. President Trump has announced a blockade on “sanctioned” Venezuelan oil vessels. Miguel R. Tinker Salas is professor emeritus of History at Pomona College and joins us to talk about Venezuela's oil industry and this development, and parse the “absurdity” of Trump's comments. He is the author of The Enduring Legacy: Oil, Culture and Society in Venezuela. “This was not about drugs,” Tinker Salas says. “This was about oil, this was about Western Hemisphere control, this was about geopolitics, this was about an effort to control the Caribbean and Central America, and U.S. hegemony.” 0:35 – Reviewing President Trump's Oval Office address and recent revelations in interviews by White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, we are joined by John Nichols, executive editor of The Nation. To make a gift to KPFA and help us meet our fundraising goal, give at support.kpfa.org. The post U.S. to blockade “sanctioned” Venezuela oil tankers with military; John Nichols responds to Trump's Oval Office address appeared first on KPFA.

(December 11, 2025) Host of ‘How to Money’ Joel Larsgaard joins the show to discuss cash is ‘cringe’ to Gen Z, Instacart’s algorithmic pricing, and what if electricity was free in the afternoon? Fed chair Jerome Powell says U.S. may be drastically overstating jobs numbers. UC Berkeley, Pomona College settle with Jewish groups over antisemitism allegations.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

(December 11, 2025) Amy King and Neil Saavedra join Bill for Handel on the News. Takeaways: Powell says the Fed has delivered enough rate ducts for now. Judge blocks President Trump’s National Guard deployment in Los Angeles. Senate poised to reject extension of healthcare subsidies as costs rise. UC Berkeley, Pomona College settle with Jewish groups over antisemitism allegations.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Send us a textIn today's episode, I'm chatting with Ginny Kubitz Moyer. Ginny is a California native with a lifelong passion for local history. A graduate of Pomona College and Stanford University, she taught high school English for 26 years and has written both fiction and nonfiction. Her love for California and its rich tapestry of stories inspired her debut novel The Seeing Garden, which won Silver in the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award in Historical Fiction. Her second novel, A Golden Life, continues her celebration of her home state's unique history. Ginny is also the author of the nonfiction books Taste and See: Experiencing the Goodness of God with Our Five Senses and Mary and Me: Catholic Women Reflect on the Mother of God. An avid weekend gardener, Ginny lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, two sons, and one adorably stubborn rescue dog.Episode Highlights:How 25+ years of teaching English shaped Ginny's writing voice and storytelling process.Why all her books are rooted in California history and the moment she first dreamed up The World at Home.A glimpse into San Francisco life during WWII and the type of historical fiction she loves to craft.Her evolution from nonfiction to fiction and why the shift felt meaningful.How Ignatian Spirituality guides her reflections, using the daily questions “Where did I find life today?” and “What drained me?”Connect with Ginny:InstagramFacebookWebsitePurchase Ginny's booksShow NotesSome links are affiliate links, which are no extra cost to you but do help to support the show.Books and authors mentioned in the episode:Romeo and Juliet by William ShakespeareRebecca by Daphne du MaurierAll the Beauty in the WorldJoin us for the BFF Book Club Holiday Party!

On December 5, USC hosts the Soak It Up conference, exploring "landscape architecture's leadership role in addressing critical urban flooding and water management." We thought it fitting to revisit our 2024 conversation with alumna Leslie Dinkin, who earned dual degrees in heritage conservation and landscape architecture. Her award-winning master's thesis, Heritage in Practice: A Study of Two Urban Rivers, explores how and why the Los Angeles and San Antonio Rivers took such different courses in the development of their respective cities. In addition to comparing their histories, Leslie walked nearly sixty miles along both rivers. She documented the experience through her written reflections and hundreds of photos by Rio (yes, Rio) Asch Phoenix. In the episode, she shares stories, insights, and part of her conversation with Char Miller, Director of Environmental Analysis and W. M. Keck Professor of Environmental Analysis and History at Pomona College. Connect with us on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn!

This Sunday we join Kevin in his sermon "'It's Complicated." And That's Beautiful. That's Grace." Taking our cue from a few poems by the Jesuit priest Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844—89) which echo wisdom found in the Psalms, we'll consider what it means to have a sacramental world view—to find visible reminders of God's invisible grace everywhere around us. Even in the mixed-up, messed-up, impure things, what Hopkins called “pied things.” Even in the messiness of our everyday lives. Kevin Dettmar is a professor of English at Pomona College, where he teaches courses in British and Irish literature and contemporary popular music. He and his wife Robyn have been members of CUCC since 2022.

Thomas Princen explores issues of social and ecological sustainability at the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan. He works on principles for sustainability, overconsumption, the language and ethics of resource use, and the transition out of fossil fuels. His latest book is Fire and Flood: Extreme Events and Social Change Past, Present, Future (MIT Press, 2025). Princen is the author of Treading Softly: Paths to Ecological Order (2010), author of The Logic of Sufficiency (2005), and lead editor of Confronting Consumption (2002), all three published by MIT Press. The last two were awarded the International Studies Association's Harold and Margaret Sprout Award for the best book in the study of international environmental problems. He is co-editor of The Localization Reader: Adapting to the Coming Downshift (MIT Press, 2012), co-author of Environmental NGOs in World Politics: Linking the Local and the Global (Routledge, 1994) and author of Intermediaries in International Conflict (Princeton University Press, 1992/1995).  Princen was named an Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow, sponsored by the Packard Foundation, and before that was a Pew Faculty Fellow for International Affairs. Princen received his Ph.D. in Political Economy and Government from Harvard University in 1988 and a Bachelor of Arts in biology from Pomona College in 1975. He was a MacArthur Foundation Post-Doctoral Visiting Research Fellow in International Peace & Security at Princeton University from 1988 to 1989. He now serves as an Associate Professor of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy at the University of Michigan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

I am joined by Jeff C. Riley on the 215 episode of the Pixel Classroom Podcast. Jeffrey C. Riley (Jeff) is the former Massachusetts Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education, who co-founded and now leads the not-for-profit Day of AI organization in partnership with MIT RAISE..Mr. Riley was appointed Superintendent/Receiver of the Lawrence Public Schools, where, for over 6 years, he led a team that brought significant improvements by shifting resources and autonomy to the school level, expanding the school day, increasing enrichment opportunities, and ensuring all schools had great leaders and teachers. His previous experience spanned urban and suburban districts, including teaching in Baltimore, MD and serving as principal of Tyngsboro Middle School and Boston's Edwards Middle School. Mr. Riley holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Pomona College in California, a master's degree in counseling from Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, and a master's degree in school administration, planning, and social policy from Harvard University.You can reach out to Jeff through www.dayofaiusa.org and jeff@dayofai.org

Thomas Princen explores issues of social and ecological sustainability at the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan. He works on principles for sustainability, overconsumption, the language and ethics of resource use, and the transition out of fossil fuels. His latest book is Fire and Flood: Extreme Events and Social Change Past, Present, Future (MIT Press, 2025). Princen is the author of Treading Softly: Paths to Ecological Order (2010), author of The Logic of Sufficiency (2005), and lead editor of Confronting Consumption (2002), all three published by MIT Press. The last two were awarded the International Studies Association's Harold and Margaret Sprout Award for the best book in the study of international environmental problems. He is co-editor of The Localization Reader: Adapting to the Coming Downshift (MIT Press, 2012), co-author of Environmental NGOs in World Politics: Linking the Local and the Global (Routledge, 1994) and author of Intermediaries in International Conflict (Princeton University Press, 1992/1995).  Princen was named an Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow, sponsored by the Packard Foundation, and before that was a Pew Faculty Fellow for International Affairs. Princen received his Ph.D. in Political Economy and Government from Harvard University in 1988 and a Bachelor of Arts in biology from Pomona College in 1975. He was a MacArthur Foundation Post-Doctoral Visiting Research Fellow in International Peace & Security at Princeton University from 1988 to 1989. He now serves as an Associate Professor of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy at the University of Michigan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/environmental-studies

Thomas Princen explores issues of social and ecological sustainability at the School of Natural Resources and Environment at the University of Michigan. He works on principles for sustainability, overconsumption, the language and ethics of resource use, and the transition out of fossil fuels. His latest book is Fire and Flood: Extreme Events and Social Change Past, Present, Future (MIT Press, 2025). Princen is the author of Treading Softly: Paths to Ecological Order (2010), author of The Logic of Sufficiency (2005), and lead editor of Confronting Consumption (2002), all three published by MIT Press. The last two were awarded the International Studies Association's Harold and Margaret Sprout Award for the best book in the study of international environmental problems. He is co-editor of The Localization Reader: Adapting to the Coming Downshift (MIT Press, 2012), co-author of Environmental NGOs in World Politics: Linking the Local and the Global (Routledge, 1994) and author of Intermediaries in International Conflict (Princeton University Press, 1992/1995).  Princen was named an Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellow, sponsored by the Packard Foundation, and before that was a Pew Faculty Fellow for International Affairs. Princen received his Ph.D. in Political Economy and Government from Harvard University in 1988 and a Bachelor of Arts in biology from Pomona College in 1975. He was a MacArthur Foundation Post-Doctoral Visiting Research Fellow in International Peace & Security at Princeton University from 1988 to 1989. He now serves as an Associate Professor of Natural Resources and Environmental Policy at the University of Michigan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/public-policy

In this episode, Sharona and Boz follow up on episode 121 and sit down with Dr. Sharon Stranford, Professor of Biology at Pomona College, to explore her journey from traditional grading toward ungrading and collaborative grading in STEM. Sharon shares how her experiences as a first-generation college student, a long-time practitioner of just-in-time teaching, and a pandemic-era educator led her to reimagine how feedback, mastery, and motivation intersect in the science classroom.She explains how she replaced numbers and letters with meaningful dialogue, feedback, and self-assessment, helping students shift from “What's my grade?” to “What have I learned?” Along the way, she describes how personal goals, SMART reflections, and one-on-one mastery conversations help students develop agency and persistence—while also transforming the teacher–student relationship.LinksPlease note - any books linked here are likely Amazon Associates links. Clicking on them and purchasing through them helps support the show. Thanks for your support!Just-In-Time Teaching: Blending Active Learning with Web Technology, Novak, G. Et AlEnhancing and Undermining Intrinsic Motivation: The Effects of Task-Involving and Ego-Involving Evaluation on Interest and Performance.British Journal of Educational Psychology. Butler, R, Et AlResourcesThe Center for Grading Reform - seeking to advance education in the United States by supporting effective grading reform at all levels through conferences, educational workshops, professional development, research and scholarship, influencing public policy, and community building.The Grading Conference - an annual, online conference exploring Alternative Grading in Higher Education & K-12.Some great resources to educate yourself about Alternative Grading:The Grading for Growth BlogThe Grading ConferenceThe Intentional Academia BlogRecommended Books on Alternative Grading:Grading for Growth, by Robert Talbert and David ClarkSpecifications Grading, by Linda Nilsen

The first time I had much use for poetry came in college, freshmen year. My professor assigned each of us to memorize a poem and recite it in class. Horrified, I chose ee cummings' "anyone lived in a pretty how town" and began the process of reading it a million times between tennis practices and snowball fights. Over and over and over I read it, trying to memorize how the words and lines zipped together without the usual literary wardrobe of grammar. I can still remember pieces, twenty five years later: "anyone lived in a pretty how town / with up so many floating bells down..." "no one loved him more by more..." As I read and read, I realized the poem featured two characters named "anyone" and "no one." I began to understand how the years passed quickly through the lines and stanzas, as cycles of time spun through small word choices. I saw its heartbreak. Reading by reading I began to find it utterly beautiful. By the time my friends and I went out to practice for our class presentation by reciting our poems in the middle of Pomona College's outdoor Greek theater late one night, I loved it. But I was still really nervous. As an educator, I've often wondered how to help students get as close up to a poem as I got to ee cummings' "anyone lived in a pretty how town." What makes it possible to step inside the story of a poem, try on its language, dream its dreams? Maybe without having to recite it though? This month I had a chance to explore some of Robert Scott Root-Bernstein and Michèle Root-Bernstein book, Sparks of Genius: The Thirteen Thinking Tools of the World's Most Creative People. Inside, they discuss the risk of education staying on a kind of hypothetical parallel track to the realities of the world, each so close to each other and yet never quite touching. Imagination and experience, they suggest, have become disconnected. "This being the case," write the Root-Bernsteins, "the task for educators, self-learners, and parents is simply put: to reunite the two. And the world's most creative people tell us how in their own words and deeds, in their own explorations of their own minds at work. What they find as individuals, when taken as a whole, is a common set of thinking tools at the heart of creative understanding" (24-25). What are these tools, you might well ask, and what do they have to do with ee cummings, students, and the study of poetry? The tools are: observing, imaging, abstracting, recognizing patterns, forming patterns, analogizing, body thinking, empathizing, dimensional thinking, modeling, playing, transforming, and synthesizing. They're pretty fascinating to play around with when it comes to designing curriculum. How might we help students better understand a poem, using these tools? I decided to experiment with designing around patterns when it comes to ee cummings, a master of writing in rhythms and cycles. The nexus of patterns and poetry had me thinking of blackout poetry at first, but of course, I already had a poem. I didn't need a new one. So I decided to try a new spin on the blackout - blacking out for discovering meaning, instead of to create a new poem. Instead of a blackout poem, I would try a poem blackout, illuminating what patterns I could find by eliminating everything else. For me, the results were powerful. So today on the pod, let me walk you through how to do a poem blackout of your own in class, with any poem you might want to dig deeply into with students. If you love blackout poetry, I think you'll love this riff. As usual, I really encourage you to check out the show notes for the oh-so-necessary visuals to complement this episode. Sources Cited: Root-Bernstein, M. and Root-Bernstein R. Sparks of Genius: The Thirteen Thinking Tools of the World's Most Creative People. Mariner Books. https://books.google.com/books?id=DARiLCJc0dEC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false. Accessed Oct. 14, 2025. Go Further:  Explore alllll the Episodes of The Spark Creativity Teacher Podcast. Grab the free Better Discussions toolkit Join our community, Creative High School English, on Facebook. Come hang out on Instagram. Enjoying the podcast? Please consider sharing it with a friend, snagging a screenshot to share on the ‘gram, or tapping those ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to help others discover the show. Thank you!

Today we wrap up our discussion on checks and balances with special guest Dr. Susan McWilliams.  In this concluding episode, Dr. McWilliams takes us back to our founding and explains why the founders created a system of separation of powers and checks and balances, dividing power between the branches, with mechanisms for the branches to check each other. The Founders recognized the need and virtue in ambition but also its potential path to tyranny, so they prioritized protecting natural rights in order to keep us free.  Join us as Dr. Susan McWilliams walks us through this enlightening discussion! Dr. McWilliams is the 2025-2026 William F. Podlich Distinguished Fellow in Government at Claremont McKenna College and she has been on the faculty of Pomona College since 2006.

Kristin Johnson Managing Director, Business Development Kristin Johnson is a Managing Director of ACP, where she leads the firm's Business Development efforts. Prior to ACP, Kristin was a Principal in the fundraising group at TPG Capital, where she helped raise capital for the firm and manage investor relations. Previously, Kristin was a Managing Director in Morgan Stanley's corporate finance department, focused on working with private equity clients, for 10 years. Kristin began her career as a Consultant at Booz Allen & Hamilton, focused on marketing-intensive clients. Kristin received an M.B.A. from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a B.A. in Math and Economics from Pomona College.      

"Our duty as Jewish youth is paving the way for ourselves. Sometimes we may feel alone . . . But the most important thing is for us as youth to pave the way for ourselves, to take action, to speak out. Even if it's hard or difficult.” As American Jewish college students head back to their campuses this fall, we talk to three leaders on AJC's Campus Global Board about how antisemitism before and after the October 7 Hamas terror attacks revealed their resilience and ignited the activist inside each of them. Jonathan Iadarola shares how a traumatic anti-Israel incident at University of Adelaide in Australia led him to secure a safe space on campus for Jewish students to convene. Ivan Stern recalls launching the Argentinian Union of Jewish Students after October 7, and Lauren Eckstein shares how instead of withdrawing from her California college and returning home to Arizona, she transferred to Washington University in St. Louis where she found opportunities she never dreamed existed and a supportive Jewish community miles from home.  *The views and opinions expressed by guests do not necessarily reflect the views or position of AJC. Key Resources: AJC Campus Global Board Trusted Back to School Resources from AJC  AJC's 10-Step Guide for Parents Supporting Jewish K-12 Students AJC's Center for Education Advocacy Listen – AJC Podcasts: The Forgotten Exodus: Untold stories of Jews who left or were driven from Arab nations and Iran People of the Pod:  Latest Episodes:  War and Poetry: Owen Lewis on Being a Jewish Poet in a Time of Crisis An Orange Tie and A Grieving Crowd: Comedian Yohay Sponder on Jewish Resilience From Broadway to Jewish Advocacy: Jonah Platt on Identity, Antisemitism, and Israel Follow People of the Pod on your favorite podcast app, and learn more at AJC.org/PeopleofthePod You can reach us at: peopleofthepod@ajc.org If you've appreciated this episode, please be sure to tell your friends, and rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Transcript of the Interview: MANYA: As American Jewish college students head back to their campuses this fall, it's hard to know what to expect. Since the Hamas terror attacks of October 7, maintaining a GPA has been the least of their worries. For some who attend universities that allowed anti-Israel protesters to vandalize hostage signs or set up encampments, fears still linger.  We wanted to hear from college students how they're feeling about this school year. But instead of limiting ourselves to American campuses, we asked three students from AJC's Campus Global Board – from America, Argentina, and Australia – that's right, we still aim for straight A's here. We asked them to share their experiences so far and what they anticipate this year. We'll start on the other side of the world in Australia. With us now is Jonathan Iadarola, a third-year student at the University of Adelaide in Adelaide, Australia, the land down under, where everything is flipped, and they are getting ready to wrap up their school year in November.  Jonathan serves as president of the South Australia branch of the Australian Union of Jewish students and on AJC's Campus Global Board. Jonathan, welcome to People of the Pod. JONATHAN: Thank you for having me. MANYA: So tell us what your experience has been as a Jewish college student in Australia, both before October 7 and after. JONATHAN: So at my university, we have a student magazine, and there was a really awful article in the magazine that a student editor wrote, very critical of Israel, obviously not very nice words. And it sort of ended with like it ended with Death to Israel, glory to the Intifada. Inshallah, it will be merciless. So it was very, very traumatic, obviously, like, just the side note, my great aunt actually died in the Second Intifada in a bus bombing. So it was just like for me, a very personal like, whoa. This is like crazy that someone on my campus wrote this and genuinely believes what they wrote. So yeah, through that experience, I obviously, I obviously spoke up. That's kind of how my activism on campus started. I spoke up against this incident, and I brought it to the university. I brought it to the student editing team, and they stood their ground. They tried to say that this is free speech. This is totally okay. It's completely like normal, normal dialog, which I completely disagreed with.  And yeah, they really pushed back on it for a really long time. And it just got more traumatic with myself and many other students having to go to meetings in person with this student editor at like a student representative council, which is like the students that are actually voted in. Like student government in the United States, like a student body that's voted in by the students to represent us to the university administration.  And though that student government actually laughed in our faces in the meeting while we were telling them that this sort of incident makes us as Jewish students feel unsafe on campus. And we completely were traumatized. Completely, I would say, shattered, any illusion that Jewish students could feel safe on campus. And yeah, that was sort of the beginning of my university journey, which was not great. MANYA: Wow. And that was in 2022, before October 7. So after the terror attacks was when most college campuses here in America really erupted. Had the climate at the University of Adelaide improved by then, or did your experience continue to spiral downward until it was addressed? JONATHAN: It's kind of remained stagnant, I would say. The levels haven't really improved or gotten worse. I would say the only exception was maybe in May 2024, when the encampments started popping up across the world. Obviously it came, came to my city as well. And it wasn't very, it wasn't very great. There was definitely a large presence on my campus in the encampment.  And they were, they were more peaceful than, I would say, other encampments across Australia and obviously in the United States as well. But it was definitely not pleasant for students to, you know, be on campus and constantly see that in their faces and protesting. They would often come into people's classrooms as well. Sharing everything that they would like to say. You couldn't really escape it when you were on campus. MANYA: So how did you find refuge? Was there a community center or safe space on campus? Were there people who took you in?    JONATHAN: So I'm the president of the Jewish Student Society on my campus. One of the things that I really pushed for when the encampments came to my city was to have a Jewish space on campus. It was something that my university never had, and thankfully, we were able to push and they were like ‘Yes, you know what? This is the right time. We definitely agree.' So we actually now have our own, like, big Jewish room on campus, and we still have it to this day, which is amazing.  So it's great to go to when, whether we feel uncomfortable on campus, or whether we just want a place, you know, to feel proud in our Jewish identity. And there's often events in the room. There's like, a Beers and Bagels, or we can have beer here at 18, so it's OK for us. And there's also, yeah, there's bagels. Then we also do Shabbat dinners. Obviously, there's still other stuff happening on campus that's not as nice, but it's great that we now have a place to go when we feel like we need a place to be proud Jews. MANYA: You mentioned that this was the start of your Jewish activism. So, can you tell us a little bit about your Jewish upbringing and really how your college experience has shifted your Jewish involvement, just activity in general? JONATHAN: Yeah, that's a great question. So I actually grew up in Adelaide. This is my home. I was originally born in Israel to an Israeli mother, but we moved, I was two years old when we moved to Adelaide. There was a Jewish school when I grew up. So I did attend the Jewish school until grade five, and then, unfortunately, it did close due to low numbers. And so I had to move to the public school system.  And from that point, I was very involved in the Jewish community through my youth. And then there was a point once the Jewish school closed down where I kind of maybe slightly fell out. I was obviously still involved, but not to the same extent as I was when I was younger. And then I would say the first place I got kind of reintroduced was once I went to college and obviously met other Jewish students, and then it made me want to get back in, back, involved in the community, to a higher level than I had been since primary school.  And yeah, then obviously, these incidents happened on campus, and that kind of, I guess, it shoved me into the spotlight unintentionally, where I felt like no one else was saying anything. I started just speaking up against this. And then obviously, I think many other Jews on campus saw this, and were like: ‘Hang on. We want to also support this and, like, speak out against it.' and we kind of formed a bit of a group on campus, and that's how the club actually was formed as well.  So the club didn't exist prior to this incident. It kind of came out of it, which is, I guess, the beautiful thing, but also kind of a sad thing that we only seem to find each other in incidences of, you know, sadness and trauma. But the beautiful thing is that from that, we have been able to create a really nice, small community on campus for Jewish students.  So yeah, that's sort of how my journey started. And then through that, I got involved with the Australsian Union of Jewish Students, which is the Jewish Student Union that represents Jewish students all across Australia and New Zealand. And I started the South Australian branch, which is the state that Adelaide is in.  And I've been the president for the last three years. So that's sort of been my journey. And obviously through that, I've gotten involved with American Jewish Committee.  MANYA: So you're not just fighting antisemitism, these communities and groups that you're forming are doing some really beautiful things.  JONATHAN: Obviously, I really want to ensure that Jewish student life can continue to thrive in my city, but also across Australia. And one way that we've really wanted to do that is to help create essentially, a national Shabbaton. An event where Jewish students from all across the country, come to one place for a weekend, and we're all together having a Shabbat dinner together, learning different educational programs, hearing from different amazing speakers, and just being with each other in our Jewish identity, very proud and united. It's one of, I think, my most proud accomplishments so far, through my college journey, that I've been able to, you know, create this event and make it happen.  MANYA: And is there anything that you would like to accomplish Jewishly before you finish your college career? JONATHAN: There's a couple things. The big thing for me is ensuring, I want there to continue to be a place on campus for people to go and feel proud in their Jewish identity. I think having a Jewish space is really important, and it's something that I didn't have when I started my college journey. So I'm very glad that that's in place for future generations.  For most of my college journey so far, we didn't have even a definition at my university for antisemitism. So if you don't have a definition, how are you going to be able to define what is and what isn't antisemitic and actually combat it? So now, thankfully, they do have a definition. I don't know exactly if it's been fully implemented yet, but I know that they have agreed to a definition, and it's a mix of IHRA and the Jerusalem Declaration, I believe, so it's kind of a mix. But I think as a community, we're reasonably happy with it, because now they actually have something to use, rather than not having anything at all.  And yeah, I think those are probably the two main things for me, obviously, ensuring that there's that processes at the university moving forward for Jewish students to feel safe to report when there are incidents on campus. And then ensuring that there's a place for Jewish students to continue to feel proud in their Jewish identity and continue to share that and live that while they are studying at the university.  MANYA: Well, Jonathan, thank you so much for joining us, and enjoy your holiday. JONATHAN: Thank you very much. I really appreciate it.  MANYA: Now we turn to Argentina, Buenos Aires to be exact, to talk to Ivan Stern, the first Argentine and first Latin American to serve on AJC's Campus Global Board. A student at La Universidad Nacional de San Martin, Ivan just returned to classes last week after a brief winter break down there in the Southern Hemisphere.  What is Jewish life like there on that campus? Are there organizations for Jewish students?  IVAN: So I like to compare Jewish life in Buenos Aires like Jewish life in New York or in Paris or in Madrid. We are a huge city with a huge Jewish community where you can feel the Jewish sense, the Jewish values, the synagogues everywhere in the street. When regarding to college campuses, we do not have Jewish institutions or Jewish clubs or Jewish anything in our campuses that advocate for Jewish life or for Jewish students.  We don't actually need them, because the Jewish community is well established and respected in Argentina. Since our terrorist attacks of the 90s, we are more respected, and we have a strong weight in all the decisions. So there's no specific institution that works for Jewish life on campus until October 7 that we gathered a student, a student led organization, a student led group.  We are now part of a system that it's created, and it exists in other parts of the world, but now we are start to strengthening their programming and activities in Argentina we are we now have the Argentinian union with Jewish students that was born in October 7, and now we represent over 150 Jewish students in more than 10 universities. We are growing, but we are doing Shabbat talks in different campuses for Jewish students. We are bringing Holocaust survivors to universities to speak with administrations and with student cabinets that are not Jewish, and to learn and to build bridges of cooperation, of course, after October 7, which is really important. So we are in the middle of this work. We don't have a strong Hillel in campuses or like in the US, but we have Jewish students everywhere. We are trying to make this grow, to try to connect every student with other students in other universities and within the same university. And we are, yeah, we are work in progress. MANYA: Listeners just heard from your Campus Global Board colleague Jonathan Iadarola from Adelaide, Australia, and he spoke about securing the first  space for Jewish students on campus at the University of Adelaide. Does that exist at your university? Do you have a safe space?  So Hillel exists in Buenos Aires and in Cordoba, which Cordova is another province of Argentina. It's a really old, nice house in the middle of a really nice neighborhood in Buenos Aires. So also in Argentina another thing that it's not like in the U.S., we don't live on campuses, so we come and go every day from our houses to the to the classes. So that's why sometimes it's possible for us to, after classes, go to Hillel or or go to elsewhere. And the Argentinian Union, it's our job to represent politically to the Jewish youth on campus. To make these bridges of cooperation with non-Jewish actors of different college campuses and institutions, as I mentioned before, we bring Holocaust survivors, we place banners, we organize rallies. We go to talk with administrators. We erase pro- Palestinian paints on the wall. We do that kind of stuff, building bridges, making programs for Jewish youth. We also do it, but it's not our main goal. MANYA: So really, it's an advocacy organization, much like AJC. IVAN: It's an advocacy organization, and we are really, really, really happy to work alongside with the AJC more than once to strengthen  our goals. MANYA: October 7 was painful for all of us, what happened on university campuses there in Argentina that prompted the need for a union? So the impact of October 7 in Argentina wasn't nearly as strong as in other parts of the world, and definitely nothing like what's been happening on U.S. campuses. Maybe that's because October here is finals season, and our students were more focused on passing their classes than reacting to what was happening on the Middle East, but there were attempts of engagements, rallies, class disruptions and intimidations, just like in other places. That's why we focused on speaking up, taking action. So here it's not happening. What's happening in the U.S., which was really scary, and it's still really scary, but something was happening, and we needed to react. There wasn't a Jewish institution advocating for Jewish youth on campus, directly, getting to know what Jewish students were facing, directly, lively walking through the through the hallways, through the campus, through the campuses. So that's why we organize this student-led gathering, different students from different universities, universities. We need to do something. At the beginning, this institution was just on Instagram. It was named the institutions, and then for Israel, like my university acronym, it's unsam Universidad national, San Martin unsam. So it was unsam for Israel. So we, so we posted, like every campaign we were doing in our campuses, and then the same thing happened in other university and in other universities. So now we, we gathered everyone, and now we are the Argentinian Union of Jewish students.  But on top of that, in November 2023 students went on summer break until March 2024 so while the topic was extremely heated elsewhere here, the focus had shifted on other things. The new national government was taking office, which had everyone talking more about their policies than about Israel.  So now the issue is starting to resurface because of the latest news from Gaza, So we will go where it goes from here, but the weight of the community here, it's, as I said, really strong. So we have the ability to speak up.  MANYA: What kinds of conversations have you had with university administrators directly after. October 7, and then now, I mean, are you, are you communicating with them? Do you have an open channel of communication? Or is are there challenges? IVAN: we do? That's an incredible question there. It's a tricky one, because it depends on the university. The answer we receive. Of course, in my university, as I said, we are, we are lots of Jews in our eyes, but we are a strong minority also, but we have some Jewish directors in the administration, so sometimes they are really focused on attending to our concerns, and they are really able to to pick a call, to answer back our messages, also, um, there's a there's a great work that Argentina has been, has been doing since 2020 to apply the IHRA definition in every institute, in every public institution. So for example, my university, it's part of the IHRA definition. So that's why it was easy for us to apply sanctions to student cabinets or student organizations that were repeating antisemitic rhetorics, distortioning the Holocaust messages and everything, because we could call to our administrators, regardless if they were Jewish or not, but saying like, ‘Hey, this institution is part of the IHRA definition since February 2020, it's November 2023, and this will be saying this, this and that they are drawing on the walls of the of our classrooms. Rockets with Magen David, killing people. This is distortioning the Jewish values, the religion, they are distortioning everything. Please do something.'  So they started doing something. Then with the private institutions, we really have a good relationship. They have partnerships with different institutions from Israel, so it's easy for us to stop political demonstrations against the Jewish people. We are not against political demonstrations supporting the Palestinian statehood or anything. But when it regards to the safety of Jewish life on campus or of Jewish students, we do make phone calls. We do call to other Jewish institutions to have our back. And yes, we it's we have difficult answers, but we but the important thing is that we have them. They do not ghost us, which is something we appreciate. But sometimes ghosting is worse. Sometimes it's better for us to know that the institution will not care about us, than not knowing what's their perspective towards the problem. So sometimes we receive like, ‘Hey, this is not an antisemitism towards towards our eyes. If you want to answer back in any kind, you can do it. We will not do nothing.  MANYA: Ivan, I'm wondering what you're thinking of as you're telling me this. Is there a specific incident that stands out in your mind as something the university administrators declined to address? IVAN: So in December 2023, when we were all in summer break, we went back to my college, to place the hostages signs on the walls of every classroom. Because at the same time, the student led organizations that were far left, student-led organizations were placing these kind of signs and drawings on the walls with rockets, with the Magen David and demonizing Jews. So we did the same thing. So we went to the school administrators, and we call them, like, hey, the rocket with the Magen David. It's not okay because the Magen David is a Jewish symbol. This is a thing happening in the Middle East between a state and another, you have to preserve the Jewish students, whatever. And they told us, like, this is not an antisemitic thing for us, regardless the IHRA definition. And then they did do something and paint them back to white, as the color of the wall.  But they told us, like, if you want to place the hostages signs on top of them or elsewhere in the university, you can do it. So if they try to bring them down, yet, we will do something, because that this is like free speech, that they can do whatever they want, and you can do whatever that you want. So that's the answers we receive.  So sometimes they are positive, sometimes they are negative, sometimes in between. But I think that the important thing is that the youth is united, and as students, we are trying to push forward and to advocate for ourselves and to organize by ourselves to do something. MANYA: Is there anything that you want to accomplish, either this year or before you leave campus? IVAN: To keep building on the work of the Argentinian Union of Jewish Students is doing bringing Jewish college students together, representing them, pushing our limits, expanding across the country. As I said, we have a strong operations in Buenos Aires as the majority of the community is here, but we also know that there's other Jewish students in other provinces of Argentina. We have 24 provinces, so we are just working in one.  And it's also harder for Jewish students to live Jewishly on campus in other provinces when they are less students. Then the problems are bigger because you feel more alone, because you don't know other students, Jews or non-Jews. So that's one of my main goals, expanding across the country, and while teaming up with non-Jewish partners.  MANYA: You had said earlier that the students in the union were all buzzing about AJC's recent ad in the The New York Times calling for a release of the hostages still in Gaza.Are you hoping your seat on AJC's Campus Global Board will help you expand that reach? Give you some initiatives to empower and encourage your peers. Not just your peers, Argentina's Jewish community at large.  IVAN: My grandma is really happy about the AJC donation to the Gaza church. She sent me a message. If you have access to the AJC, please say thank you about the donation. And then lots of Jewish students in the in our union group chat, the 150 Jewish students freaking out about the AJC article or advice in The New York Times newspaper about the hostages. So they were really happy MANYA: In other words, they they like knowing that there's a global advocacy organization out there on their side? IVAN: Also advocating for youth directly. So sometimes it's hard for us to connect with other worldwide organizations. As I said, we are in Argentina, in the bottom of the world. AJC's worldwide. And as I said several times in this conversation, we are so well established that sometimes we lack of international representation here, because everything is solved internally. So if you have, if you have anything to say, you will go to the AMIA or to the Daya, which are the central organizations, and that's it. And you are good and there. And they may have connections or relationships with the AJC or with other organizations. But now students can have direct representations with organizations like AJC, which are advocating directly for us. So we appreciate it also. MANYA: You said things never got as heated and uncomfortable in Argentina as they did on American college campuses. What encouragement would you like to offer to your American peers?  I was two weeks ago in New York in a seminar with other Jewish students from all over the world and I mentioned that our duty as Jewish youth is paving the way for ourselves. Sometimes we may feel alone. Sometimes we are, sometimes we are not. But the most important thing is for us as youth to pave the way for ourselves, to take action, to speak out. Even if it's hard or difficult. It doesn't matter how little it is, but to do something, to start reconnecting with other Jews, no matter their religious spectrum, to start building bridges with other youth. Our strongest aspect is that we are youth, Not only because we are Jewish, but we are youth. So it's easier for us to communicate with our with other peers. So sometimes when everything is, it looks like hate, or everything is shady and we cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel. We should remember that the other one shouting against us is also a peer. MANYA:. Thank you so much, Ivan. Really appreciate your time and good luck going back for your spring semester. IVAN: Thank you. Thank you so much for the time and the opportunity.  MANYA:  Now we return home. Campus Global Board Member Lauren Eckstein grew up outside Phoenix and initially pursued studies at Pomona College in Southern California. But during the spring semester after the October 7 Hamas terror attacks, she transferred to Washington University in St. Louis. She returned to California this summer as one of AJC's Goldman Fellows.  So Lauren, you are headed back to Washington University in St Louis this fall. Tell us what your experience there has been so far as a college student. LAUREN: So I've been there since January of 2024. It has a thriving Jewish community of Hillel and Chabad that constantly is just like the center of Jewish life. And I have great Jewish friends, great supportive non-Jewish friends. Administration that is always talking with us, making sure that we feel safe and comfortable. I'm very much looking forward to being back on campus.  MANYA: As I already shared with our audience, you transferred from Pomona College. Did that have anything to do with the response on campus after October 7? LAUREN: I was a bit alienated already for having spent a summer in Israel in between my freshman and sophomore year. So that would have been the summer of 2023 before October 7, like few months before, and I already lost some friends due to spending that summer in Israel before anything had happened and experienced some antisemitism before October 7, with a student calling a pro-Israel group that I was a part of ‘bloodthirsty baby killers for having a barbecue in celebration of Israeli independence. But after October 7 is when it truly became unbearable. I lost hundreds of followers on Instagram. The majority of people I was friends with started giving me dirty looks on campus. I was a history and politics double major at the time, so the entire history department signed a letter in support of the war. I lost any sense of emotional safety on campus. And so 20 days after October 7, with constant protests happening outside of my dorm, I could hear it from my dorm students going into dining halls, getting them to sign petitions against Israel, even though Israel had not been in Gaza at all at this point. This was all before the invasion happened. I decided to go home for a week for my mental well being, and ended up deciding to spend the rest of that semester at home. MANYA: What did your other Jewish classmates do at Pomona? Did they stay? Did they transfer as well? LAUREN: I would say the majority of Jewish students in Claremont either aren't really–they don't really identify with their Jewish identity in other way, in any way, or most of them identify as anti-Zionist very proudly. And there were probably only a few dozen of us in total, from all five colleges that would identify as Zionists, or really say like, oh, I would love to go to Israel. One of my closest friends from Pomona transferred a semester after I did, to WashU. A few other people I know transferred to other colleges as well. I think the choice for a lot of people were either, I'm going to get through because I only have a year left, or, like, a couple years left, or I'm going to go abroad.  Or I'm just going to face it, and I know that it's going to be really difficult, and I'm only going to have a few friends and only have a few professors I can even take classes with, but I'm going to get through it. MANYA: So have you kept in touch with the friends in Pomona or at Pomona that cut you off, shot you dirty looks, or did those friendships just come to an end? LAUREN: They all came to an end. I can count on one hand, under one hand, the number of people that I talked to from any of the Claremont Colleges. I'm lucky to have one like really, really close friend of mine, who is not Jewish, that stood by my side during all of this, when she easily did not need to and will definitely always be one of my closest friends, but I don't talk to the majority of people that I was friends with at Pomona. MANYA: Well, I'm very sorry to hear that, but it sounds like the experience helped you recognize your truest friend. With only one year left at WashU, I'm sure plenty of people are asking you what you plan to do after you graduate, but I want to know what you are hoping to do in the time you have left on campus. LAUREN: I really just want to take it all in. I feel like I haven't had a very normal college experience. I mean, most people don't transfer in general, but I think my two college experiences have been so different from each other, even not even just in terms of antisemitism or Jewish population, but even just in terms of like, the kind of school it is, like, the size of it and all of that, I have made such amazing friends at WashU – Jewish and not –  that I just really want to spend as much time with them as I can, and definitely spend as much time with the Jewish community and staff at Hillel and Chabad that I can. I'm minoring in Jewish, Islamic, Middle Eastern Studies, and so I'm really looking forward to taking classes in that subject, just that opportunity that I didn't have at Pomona. I really just want to go into it with an open mind and really just enjoy it as much as I can, because I haven't been able to enjoy much of my college experience. So really appreciate the good that I have. MANYA: As I mentioned before, like Jonathan and Ivan, you are on AJC's Campus Global Board. But you also served as an AJC Goldman Fellow in the Los Angeles regional office this summer, which often involves working on a particular project. Did you indeed work on something specific?  LAUREN: I mainly worked on a toolkit for parents of kids aged K-8, to address Jewish identity and antisemitism. And so really, what this is trying to do is both educate parents, but also provide activities and tools for their kids to be able to really foster that strong Jewish identity. Because sadly, antisemitism is happening to kids at much younger ages than what I dealt with, or what other people dealt with.  And really, I think bringing in this positive aspect of Judaism, along with providing kids the tools to be able to say, ‘What I'm seeing on this social media platform is antisemitic, and this is why,' is going to make the next generation of Jews even stronger. MANYA: Did you experience any antisemitism or any challenges growing up in Arizona? LAUREN: I went to a non-religious private high school, and there was a lot of antisemitism happening at that time, and so there was a trend to post a blue square on your Instagram. And so I did that. And one girl in my grade –it was a small school of around 70 kids per grade, she called me a Zionist bitch for posting the square. It had nothing to do with Israel or anything political. It was just a square in solidarity with Jews that were being killed in the United States for . . . being Jewish.  And so I went to the school about it, and they basically just said, this is free speech. There's nothing we can do about it. And pretty much everyone in my grade at school sided with her over it.  I didn't really start wearing a star until high school, but I never had a second thought about it. Like, I never thought, oh, I will be unsafe if I wear this here.  MANYA: Jonathan and Ivan shared how they started Jewish organizations for college students that hadn't existed before. As someone who has benefited from Hillel and Chabad and other support networks, what advice would you offer your peers in Argentina and Australia? LAUREN: It's so hard for me to say what the experience is like as an Argentinian Jew or as an Australian Jew, but I think community is something that Jews everywhere need. I think it's through community that we keep succeeding, generation after generation, time after time, when people try to discriminate against us and kill us. I believe, it's when we come together as a people that we can truly thrive and feel safe.  And I would say in different places, how Jewish you want to outwardly be is different. But I think on the inside, we all need to be proud to be Jewish, and I think we all need to connect with each other more, and that's why I'm really excited to be working with students from all over the world on the Campus Global Board, because I feel like us as Americans, we don't talk to Jews from other countries as much as we should be. I think that we are one people. We always have been and always will be, and we really need to fall back on that. MANYA: Well, that's a lovely note to end on. Thank you so much, Lauren. LAUREN: Thank you. MANYA:  If you missed last week's episode, be sure to tune in for my conversation with Adam Louis-Klein, a PhD candidate at McGill University. Adam shared his unexpected journey from researching the Desano tribe in the Amazon to confronting rising antisemitism in academic circles after October 7. He also discussed his academic work, which explores the parallels between indigenous identity and Jewish peoplehood, and unpacks the politics of historical narrative.  Next week, People of the Pod will be taking a short break while the AJC podcast team puts the finishing touches on a new series set to launch August 28: Architects of Peace: The Abraham Accords Story. Stay tuned.  

On Pomona College Week: Did you binge-watch last weekend? Ryan Engley, assistant professor of media studies, examines why we stay up to keep watching. Ryan Engley researches the intersection of psychoanalytic theory and media studies. His current book manuscript, Seriality: Media and the Psychic Form of Everyday Life, casts the notion of seriality as a […]

On Pomona College Week: Natural climate solutions have a role to play in fighting climate change. Charlotte Chang, assistant professor of biology and environmental analysis, explores how. Charlotte Chang is a computational sustainability scientist whose work focuses on finding solutions for nature and people to thrive together. Chang is the inaugural One Conservancy Visiting Science […]

On Pomona College Week: Wildfires in California have a long history. Char Miller, W. M. Keck professor of environmental analysis and history, examines this. Char Miller is the W. M. Keck Professor of Environmental Analysis and History at Pomona College, where he teaches classes on public lands, water, fire, urbanization. Why is California on Fire? […]

On Pomona College Week: What is the Random Forest prediction model? Jo Hardin, professor of math and statistics and Hardison Chair of analytical thinking, explores how it works. Jo Hardin is Professor of Mathematics & Statistics and Hardison Chair of Analytical Thinking at Pomona College. Her research areas include machine learning, methods development for biological […]

On Pomona College Week: Unclaimed deaths are on the rise. Pamela Prickett, associate professor of sociology, examines how some have come together to honor them. Pamela Prickett is an associate professor of sociology at Pomona College and former journalist. She is the author of two books about Los Angeles, including The Unclaimed: Abandonment and Hope in the […]

Fire is a means of control and has been deployed or constrained to levy power over individuals, societies, and ecologies. In Burn Scars: A Documentary History of Fire Suppression, from Colonial Origins to the Resurgence of Cultural Burning (Oregon State UP, 2024), Pomona College professor Char Miller has edited a collection of documents and essays tracing the history of fire and human interactions in the West and across North America. Indigenous people in California and elsewhere used fire for their own benefit, allowing naturally occurring wildfires to replenish landscapes, and controlling "light burns" to better suit their own hunting, gathering, and agricultural means. It was only with the arrival of first the Spanish and then other European and American settlers that fire took on a decidedly "uncivilized" connotation. As Americans instituted fire regimes across the continent, wildfires grew larger and forests unhealthier. It's only been in recent years that Native people, using traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and settler forest science have begun to combine as a means of restoring fires as a central component of forest health. Char Miller is the W.M. Keck Professor of Environmental Analysis and History at Pomona College. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/american-studies

Fire is a means of control and has been deployed or constrained to levy power over individuals, societies, and ecologies. In Burn Scars: A Documentary History of Fire Suppression, from Colonial Origins to the Resurgence of Cultural Burning (Oregon State UP, 2024), Pomona College professor Char Miller has edited a collection of documents and essays tracing the history of fire and human interactions in the West and across North America. Indigenous people in California and elsewhere used fire for their own benefit, allowing naturally occurring wildfires to replenish landscapes, and controlling "light burns" to better suit their own hunting, gathering, and agricultural means. It was only with the arrival of first the Spanish and then other European and American settlers that fire took on a decidedly "uncivilized" connotation. As Americans instituted fire regimes across the continent, wildfires grew larger and forests unhealthier. It's only been in recent years that Native people, using traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and settler forest science have begun to combine as a means of restoring fires as a central component of forest health. Char Miller is the W.M. Keck Professor of Environmental Analysis and History at Pomona College. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Fire is a means of control and has been deployed or constrained to levy power over individuals, societies, and ecologies. In Burn Scars: A Documentary History of Fire Suppression, from Colonial Origins to the Resurgence of Cultural Burning (Oregon State UP, 2024), Pomona College professor Char Miller has edited a collection of documents and essays tracing the history of fire and human interactions in the West and across North America. Indigenous people in California and elsewhere used fire for their own benefit, allowing naturally occurring wildfires to replenish landscapes, and controlling "light burns" to better suit their own hunting, gathering, and agricultural means. It was only with the arrival of first the Spanish and then other European and American settlers that fire took on a decidedly "uncivilized" connotation. As Americans instituted fire regimes across the continent, wildfires grew larger and forests unhealthier. It's only been in recent years that Native people, using traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and settler forest science have begun to combine as a means of restoring fires as a central component of forest health. Char Miller is the W.M. Keck Professor of Environmental Analysis and History at Pomona College. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/history

Fire is a means of control and has been deployed or constrained to levy power over individuals, societies, and ecologies. In Burn Scars: A Documentary History of Fire Suppression, from Colonial Origins to the Resurgence of Cultural Burning (Oregon State UP, 2024), Pomona College professor Char Miller has edited a collection of documents and essays tracing the history of fire and human interactions in the West and across North America. Indigenous people in California and elsewhere used fire for their own benefit, allowing naturally occurring wildfires to replenish landscapes, and controlling "light burns" to better suit their own hunting, gathering, and agricultural means. It was only with the arrival of first the Spanish and then other European and American settlers that fire took on a decidedly "uncivilized" connotation. As Americans instituted fire regimes across the continent, wildfires grew larger and forests unhealthier. It's only been in recent years that Native people, using traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and settler forest science have begun to combine as a means of restoring fires as a central component of forest health. Char Miller is the W.M. Keck Professor of Environmental Analysis and History at Pomona College. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/native-american-studies

Fire is a means of control and has been deployed or constrained to levy power over individuals, societies, and ecologies. In Burn Scars: A Documentary History of Fire Suppression, from Colonial Origins to the Resurgence of Cultural Burning (Oregon State UP, 2024), Pomona College professor Char Miller has edited a collection of documents and essays tracing the history of fire and human interactions in the West and across North America. Indigenous people in California and elsewhere used fire for their own benefit, allowing naturally occurring wildfires to replenish landscapes, and controlling "light burns" to better suit their own hunting, gathering, and agricultural means. It was only with the arrival of first the Spanish and then other European and American settlers that fire took on a decidedly "uncivilized" connotation. As Americans instituted fire regimes across the continent, wildfires grew larger and forests unhealthier. It's only been in recent years that Native people, using traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and settler forest science have begun to combine as a means of restoring fires as a central component of forest health. Char Miller is the W.M. Keck Professor of Environmental Analysis and History at Pomona College. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/environmental-studies

Thank you Leeshai Lemish for joining me on the Born To Talk Radio Show Podcast. Meet Leeshai. Leeshai has been with Shen Yun Performing Arts for 19 years. He earned his bachelor's degree in Chinese history and language from Pomona College, in California. Then he received his master's in International Relations from the London School...

Guests: Raquel E. Aldana is Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Law at the University of California, Davis.  Professor Aldana teaches criminal procedure, asylum and refugee law, immigration law and policy, comparative forced displacement, and immigration federalism.   Miguel Tinker Salas is Emeritus professor of History and Latin American studies at Pomona College. He is co-author of Venezuela: Hugo Chavez and the Decline of an Exceptional Democracy and author of Under the Shadow of the Eagles and The Enduring Legacy: Oil, Culture, and Society in Venezuela. His latest book is Venezuela: What Everyone Needs to Know.   Photo: Soldiers and police officers that staff the CECOT prison in El Salvador on Wikimedia The post Deportations and the Abuse of War Time Powers appeared first on KPFA.

This week, Quinta and Scott were joined by Lawfare Managing Editor Tyler "Spicy Tyler" McBrien to talk through the week's big national security news stories, including:“Jack Smith Takes a Mulligan on his Big Swing.” A grand jury has re-indicted former President Trump for his actions relating to the Jan. 6 insurrection, after Special Counsel Jack Smith trimmed and massaged the allegations to accommodate the Supreme Court's recent ruling on presidential immunity. How different is this indictment? What are the next steps in the trial? And will these new allegations have better odds of surviving Supreme Court review?“An Eye for an Eye Leaves the Whole World in a Bind.” This past week, Israel and Hezbollah traded another vicious round of attacks along Israel's shared northern border with Lebanon, as part of the long-awaited response to Israel's targeted killing of Hezbollah leaders a month ago. Now the region is waiting with bated breath to see whether this will be the end of it or the start of a larger war. How significant is the risk of escalation? And what will this mean for, among other things, ongoing ceasefire negotiations in relation to Gaza?“Send Me a Kiss by Wire.” Pavel Durov, the CEO of the Russia-based encrypted messaging platform Telegram—which, in addition to being the platform of choice in much of the world, has become a popular choice among criminals and terrorist groups due to its lack of content moderation—was arrested earlier this week in Paris, and is under questioning in relation to possible criminal charges arising from the criminal use of Telegram. What is motivating this move by French authorities? For object lessons, Quinta recommended "When a Department Self-Destructs," Jennifer Schoenefeld's dramatic account of the in-fighting within Pomona College's English department. Scott threw his endorsement in (alongside the Academy's) for the beautifully mumblecore-ish film "Past Lives." And Tyler urged listeners to check out Tanya Gold's upsetting account of the commercialization of the Holocaust, tellingly entitled "My Auschwitz Vacation."Note: Our discussion of Pavel Durov's arrest in France predated his indictment by French authorities.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/lawfare. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.