Jasper Davidoff
- Student Journalist, The Student Life
Articles by Jasper Davidoff
In Good Taste: Live from New York, it’s your algorithm
(Zoe Tang • The Student Life) It is undeniable that technology is a ubiquitous part of our lives, but social media is also seeping into the traditional media and art industries. Pathways to entry have shifted as virality becomes a route to comedy fame — Saturday Night Live (SNL) is no exception. As a native and extraordinarily proud New Yorker, I avidly watched SNL in middle and high school.
A new scoop in town: Bacio di Latte enters the Claremont village
Ru Mack • The Student Life With jazz playing in the background, bright lighting and rows of colorful gelato flavors behind the counter, Bacio di Latte’s opening has brought a new, lively atmosphere to the Claremont village. The gelato shop chain opened a new location in Claremont on Aug. 21, one of over 20 locations in California and 200 worldwide. The Claremont village is already filled with myriad dessert options, including Bert & Rocky’s Cream Co., 21 Choices and Yogurtland.
The feminine mystique: Call Her Daddy did irreparable damage to my brain
(Meiya Rollins • The Student Life) It’s my junior year of high school, and I’ve just been broken up with. I’m taking out my rage on the stairmaster at the local Crunch fitness, episode two of “Call Her Daddy” accompanying every stomp. I’m falling down a rabbit hole of self-pity; two days post-my-first-heartbreak, co-hosts Alex Cooper and Sofia Franklyn are helping me pick up the pieces of my ego.
Wizards Weekly: Mar. 12, 2026
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Books ‘n Love: Loving and Losing in the Time War
What if falling in love was the most dangerous thing you could do? In “This is How You Lose the Time War,” two women on opposing sides of a war — one that stretches across space and time — begin an unexpected correspondence. Blue belongs to the Garden, a collective consciousness rooted in all organic matter. Red works for The Agency, a technologically advanced civilization which merges humans and A.I. Blue fights with patience and subtlety, while Red is violent and brutal.
Sixth Street rivalry photo series
In the second part of Siena Giacoma’s series interviewing renowned 5C professors, Giacoma introduces us to Brent Armendinger, a poetry professor at Pitzer. Armedinger hopes to nurture creativity in each of his students, as he has strived to do his entire life. “Armendinger’s approach is playful, physical, and sometimes a little daring. He bicycled the entirety of the Erie Canal, stopping to write syllabic poetry, composing in his head based on humans and creatures he encountered.
Inside the All-Out, 16-State Mission to Save the American Oystercatcher
With a long, powerful bill capable of slicing open shells that most other birds can’t crack, the American Oystercatcher seems well equipped to find plenty to eat in its coast-hugging habitats. In the early 2000s, though, scientists noticed oystercatchers’ namesake food source was disappearing—and the shorebirds were following suit. Oyster reefs where the birds forage were receding, while development and rising seas threatened important coastal nesting habitats.
Why Do Herons Have Long Necks?
When it comes to fascinating anatomy, herons have the other avian families on notice. From their stilt-like legs to their wildly long necks and prehistoric vibes, these birds can captivate us standing still—never mind watching them stalk the shallows for food, take flight, or engage in flamboyant mating rituals.
More Than You Ever Wanted to Know About Heron Necks
When it comes to fascinating anatomy, herons have the other avian families on notice. From their stilt-like legs to their wildly long necks and prehistoric vibes, these birds can captivate us standing still—never mind watching them stalk the shallows for food, take flight, or engage in flamboyant mating rituals.
LEED’s Green Building Rules Are Becoming More Bird-Friendly-Do They Go Far Enough?
Since 1998 more than 100,000 properties around the world—from apartments and office towers to hospitals, dorms, and churches—have earned a sleek seal emblazoned with three oak leaves and four letters that signify environmental sustainability: LEED.
A New Documentary About a Hummingbird Rehabber Peeks At Life on a Different Scale
About 70 minutes into Every Little Thing, an energetic young bird named Jimmy goes on a rampage. Weeks into his rehabilitation after a fall from his nest, the orphaned Allen’s Hummingbird is ready to move into a shared living situation, a roomy cage with a rambunctious duo dubbed “The Wild Boys.” Terry Masear, our hero, has him in her hand just outside the enclosure when—“Oh, shit”—he breaks loose and shoots up to the ceiling.
Test Your Bird and Word Savvy With This Creative Crossword Puzzle
Keep an eye out for vagrant clues as you tackle our avian-themed grid—and learn how you can apply a puzzling mindset in your birding, too. Por Jasper Davidoff (Editorial Fellow, Audubon magazine), Matthew Stock (Contributor, Audubon magazine) One of the things you learn as a crossword constructor is that there’s no real limit to how cool or quirky a puzzle can get—just as long as you can actually pull it off.
To Grow Grassland Habitat, Conservationists Try a New Incentive: Cash for Birds
Matt Maier was happy to leave behind the constant chores of a family farm to study business, not agriculture, in college. But a couple of decades later, when Maier had children of his own, a dream of raising them on the land took root. So he bought 120 acres of degraded land beside his parents’ Minnesota parcel and, in 2003, began grazing cattle. Since he’d left, however, “things had changed quite dramatically,” he says. Other small livestock farms were gone, replaced by corn and soy.
10 Fun Facts About the Red-Winged Blackbird
If you’ve seen a bird, chances are good you’ve seen a Red-winged Blackbird. One of the most widespread (and—dare we say it—fashionable?) birds in North America, the passerines can be found across much of the United States and in parts of Mexico and Canada throughout the year. While their numbers are declining, Red-winged Blackbirds remain one of the most abundant birds on the continent, with recent estimates placing their population at around 150 million.
As the World Heats Up, Can Ceramic Nests Help Birds Stay Safe and Cool?
For most of us, a 75-degree day doesn’t present much occasion to complain about the weather. A Cassin’s Auklet, though, might beg to differ; nesting along the Pacific coast predominantly between Alaska and British Columbia, the small, chunky seabirds like to keep it cool. For decades, a colony of about 30,000 auklets has found the conditions on Southeast Farallon Island, a craggy wildlife refuge 30 miles west of San Francisco, chilly and breezy enough to stick around.
For Fantastic Seabird Spotting, Head to ... the Great Lakes?
The Holiday, a handsome 65-foot charter boat, spends much of its time ferrying Cleveland Browns fans up the Cuyahoga River from the city’s Flats neighborhood to home games at Huntington Bank Field. On other days, the vessel might be engaged for a birthday party, wedding, or fishing trip. In 2009, the boat added one more role to its resumé: mobile birding platform.
Gazan poet Yahya Ashour at Pitzer
On Nov. 18, over 75 students, faculty and community members filed into Pitzer College’s Benson Auditorium for Gazan poet Yahya Ashour’s reading “A Gaza of Siege and Genocide.” The collection features poems Ashour has written since being exiled from Gaza, which appear in the book alongside his own illustrations. Pitzer English professor Brent Armendinger organized the reading with support from Pitzer’s Dean’s Office and the Melvin L. Oliver Racial Justice Initiative.
Do You Speak Warblish?
A relatively new field of research focuses on the rich history of pairing birdsong with human language. By Jasper Davidoff Editorial Fellow, Audubon magazine The question Who cooks for you? doesn’t come up terribly often in natural conversation—unless you’re a birder, that is.
Window Strikes Are Even Deadlier for Birds Than We Thought
Dustin Partridge is all too familiar with the “thunk” of a bird hitting a window. Working in New York City as director of conservation and science for NYC Bird Alliance, he’s surrounded by a cityscape that kills as many as 230,000 of them a year. Every time he’s heard that sound, he says, he’s hoped for the best—that the bird was only momentarily stunned and eventually bounced back.
Vancouver needs homes. Local First Nations have plans on how to provide them.
Along a 5-mile stretch of Vancouver’s waterfront, three First Nations-led housing projects are emerging in one of the world’s most competitive markets. When completed, they will provide bold visibility to Indigenous groups that have long gone unrecognized in cities across North America. But their leaders also recognize they aren’t just dabbling in real estate. They are demonstrating new pathways to apply Indigenous knowledge on sustainability.
Vancouver Needs Homes. Local First Nations Have Plans On How To Provide Them. - The Christian Science Monitor
Along a 5-mile stretch of Vancouver’s waterfront, where million-dollar homes enjoy views of ice-capped peaks and gleaming sky rises, three Indigenous-led housing projects are emerging in one of the world’s most competitive markets. On one end, there’s leləm̓ – which means “home” – where 1,200 units are organized around street signs written in English and the Musqueam language.
Cicadas are out in the trillions and citizen scientists are rejoicing
This spring, the once-in-221-years appearance of two cicada groups means swaths of the U.S. South and Midwest will be blanketed in the insects. For thousands of Americans, young and old, the emergence is offering a unique opportunity to engage their curiosity, lean into a sense of wonder, and get hands-on experiences learning about insect ecology.
Cicadas Are Out In The Trillions And Citizen Scientists Are Rejoicing - The Christian Science Monitor
As Randy Emmitt navigates a wooded lot, he notices a couple of things: patches of sunlight coming through the trees, and a near-inability to make out any sound other than a persistent screeching. It doesn’t take long for him to duck inside his van, out of necessity. “The cicadas are so loud,” he tells the Monitor over the phone from Hillsborough, North Carolina. “I can’t hear you.” You can’t walk around without feeling like they’re practically on top of you, he says.
How doulas and cafes help people break the last taboo – talking about death
In cafes and community centers, classrooms and studios and online, conversations are challenging people’s long-held senses of fear and shame about contemplating death. And a new kind of role, the death educator, is springing up to help facilitate that destigmatization. It’s a new look for an old vocation, says Cole Imperi, an author and thanatologist, or death researcher.
How Doulas And Cafes Help People Break The Last Taboo – Talking About Death - The Christian Science Monitor | Everand
Where can you find a grandmother knitting a baby blanket next to a teenager crocheting a bikini top? “The cemetery” might not be the likeliest of answers. Gabrielle Gatto certainly didn’t expect to encounter such a multigenerational scene the first time she arrived at Grieving & Weaving, a monthly meetup at Green-Wood Cemetery in New York City. But she says the event’s broad popularity speaks to universal interest in a topic that’s hard to find opportunities to talk about.
College Class of 2024: Shaped by crisis, seeking community
The Class of 2024 began their college years as virtual students, arriving on once-vibrant campuses muffled by COVID-19. Now they’re graduating from college during another season of turmoil, this time caused by protests about the war in Gaza that have swept colleges and roiled national politics. Why We Wrote This From pandemic to protests, these college seniors have faced unusual challenges. Many long for community – and have learned something about building it.
Beyond TikTok ban: How one state is grappling with teens and scrolling
The TikTok law that recently sailed through Congress was primarily driven by national security concerns. Left unaddressed: a wider strategy on social media and teen mental health. Federal and state lawmakers face decisions on whether to make tech companies more responsible for safety and well-being issues, or to put that onus on parents and guardians. Why We Wrote This A story focused on Teens and officials recognize social media can have both positive and harmful effects on mental health.
Beyond TikTok Ban: How One State Is Grappling With Teens And Scrolling - The Christian Science Monitor
Will American teens lose their access to TikTok? Should they? A new law that could ban the video app – a platform especially popular with youth – unless it is sold by Chinese owner ByteDance, moves the former question closer to an answer. But the latter remains less clear. Public officials are increasingly concerned about teenage screen time and social media use. And, though with mixed feelings, teens are, too. Grace Jung is one of them.
Robot doctors: Panel discusses role of care robots in modern healthcare delivery
With the United States population rapidly aging, it’s high time to critically assess approaches to elderly care — but in the age of artificial intelligence, what exactly does that reconceptualization entail?
James Foley’s mother finds humanity in her son’s killer in ‘American Mother’
“American Mother” opens with an extraordinary meeting. Diane Foley, mother of James Foley, the American journalist who was beheaded by Islamic State militants in 2012, met with one of the men responsible for his killing. “I wanted to try to build a bridge,” Mrs. Foley says in an interview. “I prayed to try to see him as a human being, a young man about the same age as one of our sons.” Why We Wrote This True stories of courage give us hope.
Mother Of James Foley Embodies Grace In New Book ‘American Mother’ - The Christian Science Monitor
Diane Foley remembers the moment she got the call: Would you like to sit down with one of the men involved in your son’s death? “I knew I wanted to meet him,” she says in a video call. “I had no doubt. I knew Jim would not have wanted me to be afraid, and that Jim would have wanted me to hear his side of the story.” Her son, James Foley, was an American journalist taken hostage in 2012 while reporting in northwestern Syria.
‘Illinoise’: A cult classic gains new life, and new meaning, onstage
It’s hard to describe Sufjan Stevens’ beloved 2005 album “Illinois”in a sentence. Even a paragraph – the next one included – wouldn’t do the 74-minute project justice. Thematically, the Prairie State’s history is but a starting point.
Stars and strife: Who gets to decide what appears on state flags?
When Stephen Handy took his family to cheer on his Utah Utes in the Rose Bowl, he spotted something as exciting as a Hail Mary pass before the game even started. Leading the team onto the field was Utah’s new state flag – a banner featuring dark blue mountains, a red canyon stripe, and a large yellow beehive. “I said, ‘Wow, that is so great,’” Mr. Handy recalls. “I mean, it was visible. You could see it. It represented Utah to me.
Stars And Strife: Who Gets To Decide What Appears On State Flags? - The Christian Science Monitor
When Stephen Handy took his family to cheer on his Utah Utes in the Rose Bowl, he spotted something as exciting as a Hail Mary pass before the game even started. Leading the team onto the field was Utah’s new state flag – a banner featuring dark blue mountains, a red canyon stripe, and a large yellow beehive. “I said, ‘Wow, that is so great,’” Mr. Handy recalls of the January 2023 game in Pasadena, California. “I mean, it was visible. You could see it. It represented Utah to me.
A Cult Classic Album Gains New Life, And New Meaning, Onstage - The Christian Science Monitor
It’s hard to describe Sufjan Stevens’ beloved 2005 album “Illinois”in a sentence. Even a paragraph – the next one included – wouldn’t do the 74-minute project justice. Thematically, the Prairie State’s history is but a starting point.
Sixth street basketball SCIAC semifinals
Fans from across the 5Cs piled into Roberts Pavilion on Friday, Feb. 23 to see a high stakes rendition of Sixth Street basketball that would decide whether the Pomona-Pitzer (P-P) Sagehens or the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) Stags would get to represent the Claremont Colleges at the SCIAC Finals. The Stags managed to come out on top in a nail biting, one shot game, winning 74-71 on their home turf at Roberts Pavilion.
Kit's Controller Corner: Fighting the man who sold the world — Metal Gear Solid and the military-industrial complex - The Student Life
The video game series “Metal Gear” released its first installment, titled simply “Metal Gear,” in 1987, while its most recent, the “Metal Gear Solid Master Collection,” came out in 2023. The series follows the journey of multiple men with the codename Snake and their journey to combat, control and caution the world against the usage of the eponymous Metal Gears, bipedal walking tanks capable of launching Nuclear Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missiles (IRBMs).
Fashion Bible: Jeans and a going out top… RIP
“So what are you wearing to the TNC?” “Oh, you know, just jeans and a going out top… ” This is an exchange that I have borne witness to far too often in the dorm halls of Claremont McKenna College (CMC). It was my hope and dream that we left the “jeans and a going out top” ensemble back in high school. But since this fashion phenomenon is alive and well across the 5Cs, let’s examine what the students of the Claremont Colleges think of it.
‘WAB Rush’: ‘Without a Box’ showcases satirical Greek-life improv
The art of improv has been ingrained in Claremont College culture for decades. As the new school year picks up, 7C improv shows are popping up left and right. On the night of Sept. 7 at Pomona’s Rosehill Theater, improv troupe Without a Box (WAB) performed their show, “WAB Rush,” to a full house. According to Claremont legend, WAB is the longest-running improv group among the 7Cs and this was their first of many shows planned for this upcoming school year.
2023 property tax breakdown, a RoundTable analysis
All of Evanston’s tax districts had to file 2023 levies by Dec. 31, 2022. So, the RoundTable has worked to calculate what you will be paying in next year’s tax bill, just as you are grappling with this 2022 year’s bill. Please remember our intent here was public service.
OPINION: President Chodosh’s first NCAA meeting agenda
Claremont McKenna College President Hiram Chodosh was named this week to the NCAA Division III Presidents Council, representing the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. “I look forward to contributing to the NCAA’s core mission to ensure that the educational experience of the student-athlete is paramount,’” Chodosh said in a SCIAC news release.
OPINION: Just call it the CRAW
The world is full of stupid acronyms. The enlightened technocrats on Capitol Hill seem to take a perverse pleasure in crafting unbearably self-satisfied backronyms — shoehorned abbrevatiations in which, to borrow a phrase from the Los Angeles Times, you torture the English language until you come up with an acronym that matches your word of choice.
SHS over-counted COVID-19 cases on campus during the spring surge
In response to an inquiry from TSL, The Claremont Colleges Services confirmed this week that Student Health Services over-reported the apparent number of COVID-19 cases at the 5Cs in recent weeks, an error that translated to some of the colleges’ individual testing dashboards. More than one hundred positive tests were mistakenly reported since March 27, TSL found.
CMC mistakenly offers admitted students $40,000 in scholarship aid
Claremont McKenna College erroneously offered 306 admitted students a scholarship award that was intended for only eight admits. (HuxleyAnn Huefner • The Student Life) When 306 of this year’s first-year applicants to Claremont McKenna College opened their admissions letters on March 24, they got the good news they were hoping for — and even more.
The Student Life
We can’t speak for everyone, but you might be hard-pressed to find many students who recognize the name John Payton PO ’73 on campus, despite the impact he made here in Claremont and the critical civil rights work he did after he graduated. What about Danny Wilks PO ’71, who founded the intercollegiate Black Student Union? Or Eileen Wilson-Oyelaran PO ’69, whose many contributions to academia started with her work as director of Black student admissions after graduation?
Water shutoff impacts Pitzer, Scripps and Harvey Mudd
Harvey Mudd College News Pitzer College Scripps College January 21, 2022 3:32 pmJanuary 21, 2022 3:41 pm By Jasper Davidoff 13 Views Residence Life, Water Workers make repairs on Mills Avenue outside Pitzer College Friday afternoon. (Jasper Davidoff • The Student Life) Repairs by local utility Golden State Water Company caused water service to shut off across parts of the northern 5Cs Friday morning. Pitzer College, Scripps College and Harvey Mudd College were affected.
Claremont Colleges will begin spring semester with two weeks of remote learning
Claremont McKenna College Front Page Harvey Mudd College News Pitzer College Pomona College Scripps College January 6, 2022 4:08 pmJanuary 6, 2022 4:10 pm By Jasper Davidoff 11 Views Coronavirus, COVID-19, Remote Learning, Zoom (Chris Nardi • The Student Life) Citing an explosion in cases of COVID-19 driven by the infectious omicron variant, the undergraduate Claremont Colleges will move to remote instruction for the first two weeks of the spring semester.
5Cs prepare for return to campus on schedule, with potential remote start to classes
Students explore the Untold Stories art exhibition in late November. (Emma Jensen • The Student Life) With two weeks until the spring semester is slated to begin and the omicron variant contributing to record-breaking case counts across the United States, 5C administrators reaffirmed their intent to bring students back to campus on schedule. All of the 5Cs are now requiring students to receive booster doses of an approved COVID-19 vaccine, with most extending that requirement to employees.
CMC and Pomona cancel events as case spike unsettles end of semester
Event cancelations and preliminary concerns about next semester are following an uptick in 5C cases and larger projections of a national winter surge. (Anna Choi • The Student Life) The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is now consulting with 5C administrators after two clusters and at least 32 new cases of COVID-19 emerged this week.
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