Pomona College’s Judicial Council (JBoard) found Claremont Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) guilty of Article III, Violation 14 of Pomona College’s Student Code during a Nov. 1 hearing. According to Pomona Divest from Apartheid (PDfA), this was one of six violations that Pomona brought against SJP in an official investigation following the Oct. 7 pro-Palestinian demonstrations.
The violation accuses SJP of “irresponsible” or “negligible” conduct resulting in theft, damage, physical harm or threat to a member of the college community’s property or safety. According to PDfA, SJP was exonerated on violations two, three, five, six and nine of Article III.
In a Nov. 1 statement, SJP referenced Pomona’s broader investigation of the group, saying that they were appalled by the college’s actions.
“By criminalizing the oldest school-affiliated group centered on Palestinian liberation, admin makes it clearer than ever that their priority is continuing to support israeli apartheid,” the post reads. “Pomona College is on a frantic rampage to find the parties ‘responsible’ for all pro-Palestine organizing.”
JBoard issued seven sanctions to SJP the following day, according to a Nov. 5 joint Instagram post by PDfA and Undercurrents, a 5C student publication dedicated to “documenting and amplifying grassroots organizing.” One of the sanctions prohibits the group from using their Instagram account until March 31, 2025. Another specifically calls for the group to create a plan for a community apology.
“The real people who deserve an apology are suspended and banned students, people whose education was completely put on hold and ruptured due to Pomona’s retaliation,” SJP said in the post.
Additional sanctions include requiring SJP to attend eight mandatory hour-long meetings with their advisor or designee and to create a statement clarifying their relationship to PDfA.
Sarah Maher PO ’28 said that she views the sanctions as an example of how Pomona utilizes collective punishment against protestors. The sanctions follow Pomona’s unilateral suspension of 12 Pomona students allegedly involved in the Oct. 7 demonstration.
“I don’t agree with what happened on October 7,” Maher said. “I don’t agree with the destruction of property. But I highly disagree with collective punishment and an unfair judicial process, and I feel like a lot of people also share that sentiment.”
Maher added that she has talked to numerous people who were on the fence about President G. Gabrielle Starr’s decision to authorize a call to police officers during a pro-Palestinian demonstration last spring, an action that resulted in the arrest of twenty students. These same students strongly oppose Starr’s recent actions, Maher said.
“I think Gabrielle Starr is exercising an extreme amount of power, and it is causing a lot of distrust within the student body,” Maher said.
Patricia Vest, interim chief of communications officer at Pomona, stated that all the judicial processes for student clubs related to the “Carnegie takeover” are complete and have been heard by the judicial board.
She added that all student clubs must adhere to the policies in Pomona’s Student Code.
SJP and PDfA did not respond to TSL’s request for comment.
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