The Student Life

Big Bridges at Pomona College standing tall in the sunlight

Former TCCS employee sentenced to 13 months for embezzling $1 million from 7Cs

April 24, 2026 1:33 am Ila Bell 0

On Wednesday, April 22, Steven Anthony Cowles, a former employee of The Claremont Colleges Services (TCCS), was sentenced to 13 months in federal prison after admitting to embezzling over $1 million from the Claremont Colleges this January.

Over a period of 10 years, Cowles embezzled $1,000,571 through 1,343 unauthorized wire transactions. According to court documents, Cowles used a “P-Card,” an employee purchasing card provided by TCCS intended for buying parts and supplies for the colleges, to conceal the wire fraud. He created fictitious invoices and documents while also linking the P-Card to his personal PayPal account, court documents said.

Motley and Scripps Store close on admitted students day amid staff strike

April 18, 2026 2:06 pm Joelle Rudolf 0

5Cs to switch to 100% renewable electricity

April 18, 2026 11:26 am Bianca Mirica 0

CWPD and QCL see declines in sign-ups; student employees say AI is to blame

April 17, 2026 2:34 am Kahani Malhotra 0

Pomona College to host California gubernatorial debate: Here’s what to know

April 24, 2026 2:25 am Chloe Kiparsky 0

On Tuesday, April 28, Pomona College will host the first of four California gubernatorial debates in Bridges Auditorium. 5C students, faculty and administration eagerly anticipate the event, and student political organizations will put on related events such as watch parties and post-debate panels.

Only Pomona students were allowed to enter the selective ticket application to attend the debate in person, but student groups such as the Claremont College’s League of Women Voters (LWV) and 5C Democrats will host watch parties for others to engage in dialogue surrounding the debate.

CMC and Scripps join SoCal campaign for stricter gas boiler regulations

April 24, 2026 1:25 am Kahani Malhotra 0

Claremont McKenna College and Scripps College passed resolutions this month to support phasing out large industrial gas boilers in Southern California.

Jaden Yang PO ’28 and Clarissa Aquino PZ ’26 have led the charge at the 5Cs to pass student resolutions on gas boilers. The end goal of the campaign is to convince the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD), a government agency that oversees air quality standards, to phase out the use of medium to large-sized boilers across Southern California.

They hope to get all 5Cs to support the resolution by the end of April, so they can show full support for shifting away from gas boilers at the SCAQMD’s next board meeting on May 1.

Student organizations collaborate to push Metro U-Pass initiative

April 24, 2026 12:20 am Carys Hardy 0

The 7C Transportation Working Group is developing a plan to bring Los Angeles Metro’s U-Pass, a reduced-fare transit pass, to the 5Cs. The group said the program would expand student opportunities and reduce car dependency.
The group — composed of students from the Claremont Urbanists, a club for urban planning, and the Associated Students of Pomona College (ASPC) Sustainability Committee — is advocating for the colleges to enroll in a pilot plan in which The Claremont Colleges Services (TCCS) would purchase U-Pass from LA Metro to give students who pay a one-time $2 fee unlimited rides across a network of 10 transit agencies.

Inside-Out program plans restructuring following Norco prison closure

April 17, 2026 2:35 am Macy Puckett 0

Following a year of uncertainty regarding the program’s future, the 5Cs’ Justice Education Center (JEC) appointed a new interim director, Tessa Hicks Peterson, last month. Peterson has since initiated plans to pilot multiple new partnership models next fall for Inside-Out, as the program navigates reconstruction following its partner institution’s, the California Rehabilitation Center (CRC) — also known as Norco prison — closure in the fall.
Inside students currently participating in Pitzer’s Pathway-to-BA program are set to graduate on May 19 after fulfilling the 32-credit course requirement. They will then be relocated to other prisons in California, but they haven’t been told which facilities they’ll be transferred to, according to Peterson.

Anime Film Features: Sealing the door with Suzume

April 24, 2026 4:31 am Joon Kim 0

In his final entry of “Anime Film Features,” columnist Joon Kim PO ’26 tackles “Suzume,” a movie he had always intended to watch yet never did up until now.

Inscriptions: Put down the book and pick up the goop

April 24, 2026 4:29 am William Riley 0

There was a bubbling cauldron of green goop sitting on my buddy Antonio’s fridge. When I asked him what the goop was, he laughed maniacally, adjusted his glasses and went back to working on his remote-controlled airplane.

The Writing Process: Night surfin’

April 24, 2026 4:12 am Otto Fritton 0

Is your writing stuck? Look no further! Otto Fritton PZ ’27 returns with his not-so-weekly column, “The Writing Process.” In this edition, he analyzes a young Stephen King’s short story, “Night Surf.”

The Daily Palette: Dislodging popular culture in ‘Interference Patterns’

April 24, 2026 4:08 am Meiya Rollins 0

Following little Meiya as she runs around her father’s store, carrying pens and paper, Meiya Rollins PO ’29 reflects on her and her father’s shared love of comics in the exhibition “Interference Patterns” at the Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College. Consisting of John Sparagana’s work, who splices and remixes popular images, she instantly gravitated towards his piece “Superman Variations.” Rollins questions her interest in this piece as she says, “What context is Sparagana wanting to take away from this popular comic, and what is he wanting us to see?”

OPINIONS: Weigh your options — psychiatric drugs are overprescribed

April 24, 2026 4:59 am William Riley 0

Liam Riley PO ‘26 discusses the prescription of psychiatric drugs in the U.S. He discusses the neurochemical model and how it can be a damaging way of looking at the world.

OPINION: We must associate the IDF with the evil that we know

April 24, 2026 4:45 am James Lyon 0

If we truly believe the moral lessons history has taught us about evil, why do we fail to recognize — and reject — the same patterns unfolding today in Israel?

OPINION: Why aren’t college kids striking anymore?

April 24, 2026 4:44 am Olivia Brinkman 0

American college students have a history of communicating demands to our government through protests and strikes. But how come we aren’t seeing very many campus strikes en masse in response to recent actions by this presidential administration that disregard our well-being?

OPINION: Jestermaxx before it’s too late

April 24, 2026 4:40 am Audrey Green 0

It is time that looksmaxxing is recognized for what it is: a repackaging of radicalism. It mimics ideologies implemented by totalitarian leaders, making self-improvement deeply intertwined with militant obedience, purification and traditionalism.

Athenas end Saghens’ 20 year run as SCIAC water polo champs

April 24, 2026 2:36 am Anne Reardon 0

On Saturday, April 18, Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (CMS) women’s water polo dethroned Pomona-Pitzer’s 20-year reign as SCIAC Champions. Despite P-P’s wins on Feb 25 and April 8, CMS cements its historic season in triumph after beating P-P for the first time in 20 years in January and holding strong for a 14-10 win in this SCIAC Championship game.

The WNBA is in full bloom and roots run closer than you may think

April 24, 2026 2:31 am Ava Fleisher 0

WNBA players’ recent advocacy and negotiations have made headlines, with some critics calling the progress and popularity a modern anomaly. Far from that, Ava Fleisher SC ’28 explores the rich history of women’s basketball at the 5Cs, dating back to Pomona’s groundbreaking 1903 team.

Growing out of the dynasty; saying goodbye to my Warriors-filled childhood

April 24, 2026 2:28 am Charlotte Hahm 0

After a full decade of record-setting dominance in the NBA, the Golden State Warriors dynasty is nearing its end. Charlotte Hahm SC ’28 reflects on her memories growing up alongside the team’s break-out years and how her hometown team’s dependable success fueled childlike hope and naivety.

Seminars and scoreboards: David Goldblatt

April 24, 2026 2:12 am Jake Creelan 0

Pitzer professor David Goldblatt is obsessed with football (soccer). After finishing his undergraduate years at Cambridge University, a young Goldblatt visited a place he hadn’t been since his childhood — a football stadium. This was the spark that ignited his multi-decade tango with the sport, not as a professional athlete but as an author and journalist examining its hidden political and sociological impact.

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