Claremont Conservative Adds Tina Nguyen as Contributor, Cartoonist

As many of you have recently discovered, Tina Nguyen, my girlfriend and best friend, has recently been admitted to Claremont McKenna. In the past, Tina has drawn several cartoons for this blog and its staff.

I am pleased to announce that she wants to join The Claremont Conservative this summer and leave you with one of her most recent cartoons about her reaction to being admitted to Claremont McKenna. Welcome aboard.

Investigation of CMS (Former?) Coach Continues

I've already blogged about CMS coach, Morgan Coberly, but there have been recent development. Coberly, who is pictured above, is facing an investigation that he acted "inappropriately" with a high school player while he served as a volleyball coach at the Bonita United School District. He has already left his teaching position with the district.

Much of the press has been reporting that Coberly is still working for CMS, but I contacted Michael Sutton, director of Director of Athletics & Physical Education, who informs me that he hasn't been with the coaching staff since 2006. I haven't been able to ascertain which statement is accurate.

We do not yet know what "inappropriate" means and as such, we're going to cut down speculation, but the accusations are troubling, to say the least.

Here is what the local press, The Pasadena Star News, has been reporting most recently.

Investigation of coach continues

LA VERNE - Police are continuing their investigation into a Bonita High School girls volleyball coach accused of inappropriate behavior with a player, a lieutenant said Tuesday.

Morgan Coberly, who served as a volleyball coach at the school for more than five years, left Bonita Unified School District in late April.

Coberly of La Verne has denied allegations.

La Verne police Lt. Jim Strona declined to release further details about the ongoing investigation, citing department policy.

Coberly is also a coach in the combined athletics departments of Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, and Scripps colleges, as well as a La Verne-based private volleyball league.

School district

Assistant Superintendent of Human Resource Development William Brinegar said the district does not comment on any ongoing investigations or personnel matters involving current or former employees.

CMC Alum in Afghanistan, Blogs About the Resilience of the Human Spirit in Afghanistan

Moti Sorkin, soldier and Claremont McKenna grad, is back from Afghanistan and I have been reading through his blog once more. I heartily recommend his blog for anyone who seeks to understand the kind of "armed social work" our troops are doing over there. (I have added him to the blog roll, too.)

In addition to serving his country with his time and deeds in Afghanistan, Sorkin serves all of us with his words. He didn't have to go, but he went all the same.

He might never speak at the Ath about how to make the world a better place, but his blog, and in particular this passage, makes me think that the high costs of this war are worth it after all.

There is, however, a population sector that seems to get it. Perhaps it's a universal truth, but the local children don't seem to have been born defeated.

A while ago a group of 50 kids showed me the results of a recent visit from enemy fighters. They pointed out a charred spot on the ground, where masked men had burned the kids' jackets, books, and shoes. As I looked at the burn pile one of the children shyly asked me for a pen. I asked him why, when the enemy would just burn it sometime in the future. In response he pulled a pen out of his pocket, which we had brought to him a couple weeks before. He refused to hand it over when the Taliban came to the village, and he said he would do the same thing in the future. He smiled shyly, and put the pen back into his pocket.

Had I been born as an Afghan child, I hope that I would have been as brave as that kid. It's not easy to stand against cruel and uncompromising fanatics, especially when your elders take the path of least resistance. But kids like that represent the future, and between their courage and our help, things continue to grow more promising over here.

We Are Shipwrecked No More; Tina Is Admitted to Claremont McKenna

O, wonder!
How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
That has such people in't! – Miranda in The Tempest, Act Five, Scene 1.

Oftentimes we feel shipwrecked by the choices we make. The sails we trusted to get us to where we needed tear; the compass breaks; the wind blow against us; or we run asunder. We spend more time bailing out the hull than we do enjoying the ride.

And yet we still set course, knowing all the while that with each passing nautical mile, we might come closer to a safe harbor where weary might rest together once more.

When we first made that journey out from our native Bay State, the likelihood that we would keep it together seemed remote. We were, after all, thousands of miles from one another.

We broke up, believing it better to “keep our options open” than to drift through the uncertain waters together. We made this decision because we believe that others could set our path.

But rudderless ships, lacking first mates, are often derelict, and I asked you aboard once more to be more than my first mate, but my co-captain. Despite the siren's songs, we have never looked back.

Congratulations on being admitted to Claremont McKenna College, Tina.

You’ll find the natives occasionally carnivorous, but well-meaning. The weather is always fantastic and your crew, why, your crew is the best, brightest, and most compassionate folks you’re ever likely to meet.

So welcome. Come aboard. Shall we lay a new course? After all, we've always set them together.