As the construction for Pomona College’s new athletics and recreation center continues, students, faculty and staff members at Pomona and Pitzer College are now allowed to use Claremont McKenna College’s Roberts Pavilion from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, Pomona-Pitzer Director of Athletics Miriam Merrill said in an email to students Monday.
Roberts opened five years ago to strong reviews from Claremont-Mudd-Scripps students.
First time users from Pomona and Pitzer must sign a waiver before using any of the pavilion’s amenities, Merrill said. All users must keep their masks on at all times within the building and swipe into the building with their campus ID card.
At this time, usage is only allowed within the specified timeframe and Pomona and Pitzer users are not permitted to register for or attend any CMS group fitness classes or other forms of “recreation programming,” Merrill said.
Despite the restricted window, students like Sonam Rikha PO ’24 welcomed the change.
Although Pomona students have been able to use facilities at Pitzer’s Gold Student Center, Rikha said she appreciated being able to use Roberts since it’s closer to Pomona’s campus.
“Unfortunately, I still won’t be able to exercise as much at Roberts Pavilion because I either have classes or work during those hours,” Rikha said. “I wish the hours were extended and that we also had access to the gym on the weekends. That way it’d be more accessible.”
Pomona-Pitzer students have also had the option of reserving a spot at the “auxiliary fitness center” located on Pomona’s Strehle Track.
But Rikha was never able to successfully use the auxiliary fitness center, which she affectionately referred to as “the shed.”
“I’ve tried to go to the Pomona shed once and registered for an appointment at nighttime,” Rikha said. “Though when my friend and I searched for it, the door was locked and we were left lost in the poorly lit outskirts of the shed.”