Dear TSL Editors —
I visited Pomona a few weekends ago as a prospective student. I picked up the March 2 issue of TSL, read through it, and Lauren Ison’s column “College Presidents, It’s Time to Support Student Journalism” really caught my eye. I was interested in the dynamics between the student paper and the administration and student government.
The Student Life seems to have been financially deprioritized by the student governments at The Claremont Colleges as well as by the college administrations. This is a significant issue to me, especially because having a healthy student paper is critical to maintaining a balanced perspective on campus.
I wanted to share this opinion, since as a prospective student, one of the first things I do is pick up the student newspaper. Reading through each article helps guide my process of formulating opinions about the school.
When I read through TSL, and particularly through Ison’s column, I was struck by my own positive and negative reactions. I was impressed, on the one hand, with the newspaper’s self-advocacy and awareness, and columnists’ willingness to vocalize their concerns and enact change within the community.
On the other hand, the piece raised questions about the financial state of the newspaper and seemed indicative of the student government’s priorities. As a prospective student interested in social sciences and journalism, I want to be confident that the school I end up choosing prioritizes the voices of the student community, and that the student government and administration work well together to ensure that student journalists can consistently publish a clear, well-represented set of perspectives.
I was very impressed with Pomona and the quality of the student newspaper. I hope by the time I graduate from high school in 2019 that some of these issues have been resolved and that the TSL staff find themselves on more solid ground.
Sincerely,
David Gales
Berkeley, CA