by Madeleine Farr

Scripps College’s student-run Motley Coffeehouse has now been closed for more than three weeks, since President Amy Marcus-Newhall emailed community members on October 5 that a process was necessary to “clarify the roles and responsibilities, operating protocols, and legal obligations of College administration and student employees.”

The closure followed a period of heightened political activity at the Motley, namely staff’s refusal to accommodate a September 9 request by Scripps administration to remove a hanging Palestinian flag, as well as some workers’ participation in the global strike for Lebanon on October 11.

Marcus-Newhall wrote that discussions had taken place between dean of students’ staff and Motley employees, which “emphasized the potential business risks and negative impacts associated with actions that may inadvertently restrict free expression or create an unwelcoming atmosphere.”

She added that “the Motley managers have ignored the Dean of Students’ repeated requests to issue an open call for visual materials for display inside the business, refused to attend operational meetings with the Business Affairs team, and closed the business to the public for political purposes.”

Motley baristas responded in a statement released to the community via email and on Instagram. The closure resulted in 50 student employees being dismissed; the Motley’s statement claimed that “the majority of Motley employees are work-study students, many of whom rely on this job as a financial lifeline.”

The statement also said Marcus-Newhall provided claims as reasoning to close the Motley that were “misleading.” The Motley employees claimed they were more open to dialogue than Marcus-Newhall’s email represented, and that they did not close the Motley for political purposes on October 11.

“All Motley shifts have a minimum of 3 baristas, with 1 additional helper during rush shifts from 11-12 and 1-2,” the statement read. “Due to the number of baristas who chose to strike, most shifts scheduled that day had no baristas staffed and no shift had the full number of baristas necessary to operate the bar. The managers were not responsible for closing the Motley on October 1st.”

Employees provided an “Annotated Timeline of the Motley 10/5 Closure” to support their claims. The timeline was written by Motley employees without input from the Scripps administration.

Some students have rallied in support of Motley employees, including the student-run group Pomona Divest from Apartheid which posted its “unwavering support” on October 6.

“I was with friends when we got the email answer were like, ‘Wait, what? What do you mean the Motley has been closed?’ I think for me, I was like, ‘That’s ridiculous,’ and it felt to me like a very blatant act of censorship of students,” said Scripps sophomore and friend of a Motley barista Reiley Dillon.

However, some comments made under PDfA’s post as well as a post from the student publication Claremont Undercurrents have expressed support instead for the Scripps administration, citing concerns that Motley employees’ political activity could make the coffeehouse an unwelcoming and alienating environment for other members of the student body.

It is unclear when the Motley will open again. Motley staff did not respond for comment between Monday, October 27 and the morning of Wednesday, October 29.

Madeleine Farr is a Pitzer College sophomore studying politics and writing and rhetoric. She is chief copy editor at the Claremont Colleges student newspaper The Student Life, and hopes to pursue journalism after graduation.