ICC Social marches on with subtle protest

Over a dozen Santa Monica College Inter-Club Council delegates showed up to the ICC Social with handmade ram horn pins in their hair. "I think they’re all wearing those horns without knowing the other side," said Isaac Medeiros from UNICEF Club. The delegates were sporting horns to commemorate ICC Vice Chair Courtney King, who was reportedly kept from attending the event by administration. The ICC Social, as well as Club Row and Club Awareness Day, was organized and budgeted by King.

King is know for wearing hand-crafted ram horns.

Lahari Indraganti of Chemistry Club and Astronomy Club assisted King in some of the planning. "I think Courtney King worked very hard the whole semester planning this event, and I think she deserves to be here," she said.

Among the planned and budgeted items for the event were custom made ICC mugs, which were given to all in attendance, food, tea, and a "silent disco" consisting of attendees wearing a set of headphones while everyone listened to the same music. In the wake of the removal of King from her duties as coordinator of the event, the food order was changed and the silent disco was dropped in favor of AS Director of Instructional Support Kishore Athreya deejaying via Spotify. Kaitel reports being able to cut the budget of the event by $998.

ICC Chair Maya Kaitel was given the responsibility of organizing the event, and she enlisted different members of the AS to assist, including incoming board members. "No matter what happens, it’s still going to go forward because we love our clubs and we appreciate them and they deserve to be rewarded," said Kaitel.

Incoming ICC Communications Officer Mariah Casillas said "We all came together and for what it was, it went really well." It was the first ICC Social for both her and Kevin Picard, who also created the Improv Club with her and is incoming ICC Vice Chair.

Incoming ICC Chair Paul Netro said of the event "I think it serves as a way for the members of the ICC, the delegates specifically to know each other in a more casual way," pointing out formalities in meetings from which delegates usually meet each other. "It allows people to express themselves in a different way."

Indraganti noted the camaraderie of the AS board saying "everybody in the AS office has only been nice to me, so I can’t [see] what’s going on." She adds, "but i can see that [King's] been hurt."

Kaitel said of the behind the scenes stresses, "I understand that Courtney is upset and I appreciate her passion for the event, but at the same time there is nothing to be done right now except for what she already knows that she has to do."

"Things happen, and just cause she couldn’t be here for this one does not mean she’s not still part of the family," said Kaitel. In regards to the demonstration of horns, she said "It’s a fairy tea party, people can wear whatever they want. I understand that it’s in support of Courtney and I appreciate that they love their vice chair."

King stated for the record after the event that the decision to keep her from the ICC Social was one made by Bridges in order to keep King from meeting disciplinary action from administration.