Coming to Pomona College, current first-years did not know that majoring in cognitive science would require winning a lottery. This academic year, Pomona’s Linguistics and Cognitive Science Department started limiting the number of students who can major in cognitive science. Interest in the once small major has tripled over the last ten years while faculty size has stagnated. For the past two years, requests to the Faculty Position Advisory Committee for additional faculty positions have been denied by administration.
Author: Vivian Fan
2026 DEI Statistics: Putting TSL’s demographic data in context
Though TSL is quick to cover breaking news about diverse populations, their most recent demographics report reveals the clear lack of diversity in their staff. “Inclusivity must go beyond accepting every application to TSL, which is how the paper currently operates. Instead, TSL must intentionally encourage applicants from communities present on campus but underrepresented in the paper,” write Vivian Fan PO ’28 and Ila Assegaf PO ’28.
Where to? Professor Jody Valentine on time and ethical love
Aamanya Sejpal brings you along with a professor to their favorite spot on campus in a new human interest column, Where to? This week’s subject is classics professor Jody Valentine.
‘First in time, first in right’: Understanding Pomona College’s water rights
Saving water is a key sustainability initiative at the Claremont Colleges. But where does our water come from? Pomona College has two active wells on campus, which produce 1.85 percent of the Claremont area’s water. These wells allow Pomona to pay less for its water, and even occasionally turn a profit. As climate change continues, understanding water — and student-led water sustainability advocacy — is key.
OPINION: Have you been in pain? If so, care about pregnancy.
“The Claremont Colleges’ insufficient support for pregnant students, whether they carry a pregnancy to term, have a miscarriage, or seek an abortion, is both indicative of and an inadequate response to the American legal and medical system,” Vivian Fan PO ‘28 writes. “The Title IX and Accessibility offices ought to collaborate with SHS to ensure that students, regardless of whether or not they carry a pregnancy to term, are able to access relevant resources and comprehensive healthcare.”
The Claremonster under the bed: The Claremont Institute, the conservative think tank from the Claremont Colleges behind the Trump administration
Founded in 1979 by four Claremont Graduate University students, the Claremont Institute’s once mutual relationship with the Claremont Colleges has changed drastically since the Claremont Institute’s origins.
Speculative fixations: ‘Sunrise on the Reaping’: Will the revolution be televised?
Does doubling the deaths in the Hunger Games double the fun? Reviewing “Sunrise on the Reaping,” the latest book in the Hunger Games series, Vivian Fan PO ’28 determines whether or not, in this increasingly dystopian time, you should read this dystopian novel.
Speculative Fixations: ‘Stars Don’t Dream’ – Is there optimism in extinction?
In the future, how will humans deal — or not deal — with climate change and the threat of extinction? Reading the sci-fi novelette “Stars Don’t Dream,” which spans three hundred million years and tracks five people’s mission to ensure the survival of life in the universe, Vivian Fan PO ’28 examines how stories can inspire action.
Speculative Fixations: Once upon a stereotypical time in ‘Cinder’
Reading “Cinder,” a dystopian Cinderella retelling set in Asia written by a non-Asian author, Vivian Fan PO ’28, examines whether or not the Asian representation in the book is problematic, entertaining or both.
Speculative Fixations: A relationship made void in ‘As She Climbed Across The Table’
Do you ever feel like you could never live without AI? You’re not alone. In the sci-fi novel “As She Climbed Across the Table,” a physicist falls in love with her experiment, an intelligent void whom she can’t live without. Examining the book, Vivian Fan PO ’28 explores our relationship with AI and how this relationship benefits nonhumans.