On Wednesday, professors across the 7Cs participated in a debate at Claremont McKenna College’s Marian Miner Cook Athenaeum on the role of AI in higher education at the Claremont Colleges. The debate “Does AI Enhance or Hinder the Claremont Colleges’ Learning Environment?” tackled whether AI strengthens students’ learning experiences or
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7C leftist organizations host ‘Week of Action’ to commemorate third anniversary of Oct. 7
Multiple leftist student groups across the 7Cs collaborated on a “Week of Action” from Oct. 5 to 9, organizing a series of events including teach-ins, poetry readings, a 10:07 a.m. walkout and additional programming. The events marked three years since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel, with student organizers protesting Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza, as declared by the UN.
Amid tensions between the college administrations and certain student organizations advocating for Palestinian liberation, students raised concerns over some of the programming and questioned its choice of timing.
Claremont Hillel hosts Oct. 7 survivor at memorial service
Claremont Hillel hosted Rom El-Hai, a survivor of the Hamas-led attack on the Nova Music Festival, for a memorial service on Thursday to mark the three-year anniversary of Oct. 7. El-Hai spoke about his experience during and after the attacks to a group of around 30 5C students and community members on Oct. 8 at the Hillel house.
7C community rallies against sexual assault in solidarity with Cornell’s Jane Doe
About 150 community members across the 7Cs gathered at Scripps College’s Elm Tree Lawn Thursday at 1 p.m. and marched to Pomona College’s Walker Beach to rally against sexual violence in the wake of drugging and sexual assault allegations at Cornell University. Co-organizers Don James (DJ) Posillico PO ’27 and Stephanie Li PZ ’28 brought together several student organizations, advocacy groups and Title IX Coordinators to spread awareness about sexual violence on college campuses and to protest the Cornell Administration. Li said she organized the rally to stand with the Cornell plaintiff, referred to as Jane Doe in a lawsuit filed last month, and every survivor of sexual violence.
New visa and CPT restrictions threaten international students’ off-campus jobs
After the Trump administration placed new restrictions on Curricular Practical Training (CPT), a program that has historically allowed F-1 international students to work off campus, some international students have had to turn down jobs, while others expressed uncertainty about future opportunities.
In August, ICE sent a memo to colleges and universities directing them to issue CPT only when an internship or practical training experience is necessary for graduation, a stricter interpretation of the existing policy. The memo states that “improper CPT authorization” could result in “administrative or legal consequences,” such as a college losing its ability to enroll international students.
Speaking of change: Oldenborg’s demolition reshapes 5C multilingual community
Following the demolition of the Oldenborg Center for Modern Languages and International Relations over the summer, Pomona College relocated its language and residential programming across campus while construction began on the new Center for Global Engagement (CGE). Students and Language Residents said the move changed the close-knit residential community and informal interactions that developed when language housing, dining and language operated in the same building.
COVID-19 is back on campus, at a lower rate than last year
While the 5Cs continue to grapple with COVID-19, positive COVID test rates administered by Student Health Services (SHS) are lower this year than last.
Since the start of the academic year, SHS reported 15 positive COVID results out of 100 students tested through Sept. 25, meaning a 15% positivity rate. Last year, the positivity rate across a similar time period was 19%, meaning a four percentage point decrease.
Still, SHS warns that the figures do not represent all COVID infections across the Claremont Colleges, as many community members self-test with campus resources. “Students who are ill are encouraged to stay home when they have a fever, mask when appropriate, test when symptomatic, and contact SHS with questions or if symptoms worsen,” SHS stated.
ACLU, Amnesty International report on repression cites Pomona, Pitzer, Scripps; Pomona disputes claims
Pomona, Pitzer and Scripps Colleges were mentioned in a Sept. 23 report by Amnesty International USA and the American Civil Liberties Union addressing suppression of “pro-Palestine speech and dissent” across college campuses nationwide. In a statement to TSL, a Pomona spokesperson wrote that the report “makes serious errors, unsupported by the source material.”
Jose Martinez leaves Pomona College Dining management amid Dining Services controversies
Pomona College’s former Dining Services General Manager Jose Martinez is no longer employed by Pomona College, as a college spokesperson confirmed in an email statement to TSL. The circumstances surrounding Martinez’s departure, which follows student opposition to the previously planned closure of Milk & Honey, remain unclear.
CMC celebrates 50 years of co-education
From Sept. 25 to Sept. 26, Claremont McKenna (CMC) celebrated its 50th anniversary of co-education. CMC was initially founded as a men’s college in 1946, but officially opened enrollment to all genders in 1976. The Sept. 25 panel invited members from the class of 1980 — the first class of graduates that included women — to reflect on the historical evolution of CMC’s co-education, during which speakers emphasized the importance of accessible education to all genders. In interviews with TSL, some alumni explained what it was like to be women at CMC then and how that experience persists today.