Lauren Marler ’24
Staff Writer
Fall has arrived at Scripps College. Clad in warm layers and Doc Martens, students walk to class through the chilly air, although chilly in Claremont means just below seventy degrees. While studying for midterms, Scripps students snuggle up in turtlenecks and sip hot drinks at Malott. The days get shorter, as the sun sets by 5 p.m., and crisp, coppery leaves decorate the grass on Elm Tree Lawn. Fall is in the air.
Molly Craig ’24, Ryce Herron ’24, and Catherine Protiva ’24 agree that fall is the time for coziness. Yet, for some, Claremont’s falls can’t compete with the colorful, chilly autumns in colder places. Craig shared that it does not feel like fall here in contrast to her hometown, Seattle.
“[In Seattle] the leaves change colors and it’s kind of raining a little bit,” Craig said. “It’s just starting to get gloomy… and you want to go sit in a coffee shop and sip some warm tea and do some work.” She’s patiently waiting for the fall feeling to start in Claremont. “It probably happens more around the holiday season,” she said.
Craig celebrates the change of seasons through her love of fall flavors and baking. Anything pumpkin sounds good to her: pumpkin cookies, pumpkin gnocchi, and more. She also drinks a lot of tea. “I can always tell when the seasons change because I drink like three cups of tea a day,” she said.
Herron says that fall makes her think of her hometown, Kansas City, Missouri. “I’m from the Midwest so falls there are really beautiful and the leaves are crispy,” she said. The main difference between fall in the Midwest and Claremont is the weather, according to Herron.“Right now, as we’re speaking, it’s like 85 degrees,” she said.
Fall brings Herron a sense of nostalgia for home and childhood. The season reminds her of “cute elementary school cozy vibes,” she said.
Experiencing autumn in college is a different experience altogether; Herron shares that she misses having more free time to celebrate. While she was used to spending hours making decorations, and returning to the same beloved pumpkin patch every year, she is now finding new ways to celebrate, such as going to the Village Venture Fall Festival, and the Halloween event at Denison library. “I’m just making new traditions here,” she said.
Herron’s celebrations include arts and crafts, which also serve as room decor. She explained that she made paper cutouts of bats, pumpkins, and ghosts to decorate her room, as well as putting candy and pumpkins out. “We put them in front of our door like it’s our house,” she said.
Herron is also a leader of the Hygge Club. Hygge is the Danish word for coziness and comfort; the club is dedicated to promoting those feelings. To embrace this cozy fall vibe, the Hygge Club holds several events. The Hygge Club’s celebrations of fall include holding a cookie decorating and Halloween movie night. “We also went to the farmers market and will be having a Thanksgiving craft night,” she said.
Like Herron, Protiva has adapted traditions from home since coming to college. “I always get at least one pumpkin spice latte because I’m a little basic,” she said. “I always make a pumpkin pie at some point in fall. I also always try to notice the first time I have to wear an actual jacket outside.”
Protiva is also reminded of home when thinking of fall. “We had this tree in our backyard in Northern California that would turn really, really amazing colors,” she said. “So I miss that.”
For many students, Halloween is a highlight of their fall season. “I love Halloween, it’s one of my favorite holidays because I love costumes,” Protiva said. “This year I dressed up as Sandy from ‘Grease,’ which I decided to do because I already had most of the pieces so I didn’t have very much to prepare.”
Halloween is also Herron’s favorite holiday. She enjoyed making a fun and crafty costume this year. “Some friends and I went as ‘Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss!,’” she said. “I was Gaslight. I did a lot of crafting on the costumes and drew on designs with a sharpie and used paper cutouts. All we had to buy was a pack of big white t-shirts.”
Although Craig usually finds putting a costume together to be a lot of work, this year she managed to pull together three. It was also her first time being part of a group costume: as Fawn from Pixie Hollow and Daphne from Scooby Doo.
Whether you’re feeling nostalgic for autumn at home, enjoying the slightly cooling weather in Claremont, or celebrating the season through Halloween costumes, hot tea, and baking, rest assured that plenty of Scripps students are eager to join your fall festivities.
Image Source: Maddy Yardumian ’21
