Oldenborg Archives - The Student Life

April 3, 2026 12:58 amApril 3, 2026 2:47 am

Pomona approves $125 million investment plan for new Center for Global Engagement; students express housing concerns

By Noah Brewster 1201 Views center for global engagement, Dr. Kara Godwin, Gabi Starr, grace zheng, Housing and Residence Life Office, Noah Brewster, Oldenborg, Pomona College

Pomona College President Gabrielle Starr confirmed in an announcement last month that the college’s Board of Trustees approved a $125 million investment plan for the Center for Global Engagement (CGE), the facility that will replace Oldenborg Center for Modern Languages and International Relations, a residential complex and dining hall where students learn and practice foreign languages.

College officials said they will adjust for the temporary decrease in housing after Oldenborg is demolished and before the CGE is completed.

Coop fountain stands tall during the day with students working around it.

News

February 6, 2026 1:39 amFebruary 6, 2026 4:14 am

Coop Fountain operations at risk following destruction of Oldenborg Center next academic year

By Annabelle Ink 1106 Views annabelle ink, ASPC, ASPC president, center for global engagement, cge, Coop Fountain, Elias Pluecker, global pomona, grace zheng, ireland griffin, Labor union, Los Angeles, News, Oldenborg, oldenborg center, Pomona College, pomona magazine, Robert Robinson, Rolando Araiza, Union, UNITE HERE Local 11

Plans to destroy Pomona College’s Oldenborg Center in the 2026-2027 academic school year could threaten operations at the Coop Fountain, according to student representatives familiar with the situation. As part of the college’s Global Pomona initiative, Oldenborg will be replaced with the Center for Global Engagement, a facility meant to encourage both global and local partnerships among students and faculty. But one detail in the building’s plans has alarmed students: unlike Oldenborg, the new center will not have an industrial kitchen.

Arts & Culture Features Special Projects

March 27, 2025 11:15 pmSeptember 16, 2025 7:30 pm

Claremont Mosaic: Monique Saigal-Escudero: How her grandmother’s courageous act saved her from the Nazis

By Kaitlyn Ulalisa 1962 Views adoption, Author, bachelors, Book, city, Claremont, community college, concentration camp, dax, elderly, emerita, emeritus, escudero, Europe, Feature, France, french, godmother, holocaust, Jewish, Judaism, kaitlyn, Kaitlyn Ulalisa, Language, language table, leiba, Literature, masters, monique, monique saigal, monique saigal-escudero, mosaic, Music, nazi, Old, Oldenborg, paris, phd, Pomona College, Professor, Profile, rachel, rivka, rivka leiba, romance language, saigal, saigal-escudero, sing, Singing, son, Song, Spanish, story, Train, UCLA, ulalisa, War, world war, World War 2, world war ii

Born in Paris, France in 1938, Monique Saigal-Escudero is an Emerita Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures at Pomona College. At just three years old, during the peak of Hitler’s reign in Europe, her grandmother threw her on a train headed for a small city in Southwestern France: an act that ultimately saved her life. Her passion for storytelling would soon bring her back to this history, and once again place her grandmother’s courageousness front and center in her life.

Oldenborg pathway and entrance at Pomona College

News Pomona College

September 26, 2024 11:52 pm

Four students forced to relocate from Oldenborg dorm accommodations to make room for isolation housing

By Nitya Gupta and Myles Kim 7931 Views Isolation Housing, Oldenborg, Pomona College

The unexpected relocation of students from Pomona College’s Oldenborg dormitories to make space for isolation housing has sparked frustration and concern among students over the school’s handling of on-campus housing. On Tuesday, Sept. 10, four students living in Oldenborg dorm accommodations were notified via email that they would have to

A drawing of a person pushing a “boulder” of languages up a mountain, Sisyphus style.

Arts & Culture Columns

September 19, 2024 9:29 pm

Lost in Translation: Why learn a new language at all?

By Claire Welch 9377 Views cantonese, Chinese, italian, Language, mandarin, nepali, Oldenborg, Translation

Columnist Claire Welch SC ‘27, a Chinese and Italian Foreign Languages major, writes about linguistic exile, Italian movies and making connections across language barriers.

Michelle Strucke giving a talk to audience at Oldenborg at Pomona College

Arts & Culture Features

April 18, 2024 11:54 pmApril 18, 2024 11:58 pm

Oldenborg Luncheon Colloquium: Michelle Strucke on ‘promises, values and contradictions’ in U.S. foreign policy

By Courtney Chen 10392 Views Defense, foreign, foreign language, Foreign Policy, Human Rights, humanitarian, humanitarian aid, international relatinos, oldeborg, Oldenborg, oldenborg lunch colloquium, policymaking

Michelle Strucke, director of the Humanitarian Agenda and Director of the Human Rights Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, discussed U.S. foreign policy and humanitarian work during an Oldenborg Luncheon Colloquium on Apr. 4. She highlighted the complexities of policymaking, focusing on humanitarian needs and the contradictions within policies.

Community talking at the Finnish language table in Oldenborg Dining Hall

News

March 28, 2024 11:46 pm

Say ‘hei’ to Oldenborg Dining Hall’s new Finnish language table

By Kahani Malhotra 11227 Views finnish, Language, Language Tables, Lunch, Oldenborg, Pomona College, scandinavian

On Wednesday, March 20, Oldenborg hosted the first session of its new Finnish language table, an effort championed by Xuehuai He PO ‘25 and Rowan Norenberg PO ‘27.

Half the image is a gay flag the other half is the wilderness.

News

March 21, 2024 10:50 pm

New residential themed communities pilot at Pomona College for the upcoming school year

By Ameya Teli 11336 Views Harwood, Housing, housing draw, north campus, OEC, Oldenborg, Pomona College, QRC, Residential Life, Room Draw, South Campus, theme, Walker

Next fall, Pomona will introduce two new housing options based on community interests for rising sophomores, juniors and seniors.

Students making dumplings for the Lunar New Year celebration.

Arts & Culture Features

February 16, 2024 12:41 amFebruary 16, 2024 12:55 am

The Year of the Dragon: Across Claremont, students wrap dumplings, explore themed exhibits, and come together to celebrate the Lunar New Year

By Claire Welch 11055 Views AAPI, APIDA, asian, Asian Diaspora, Chinese, Chinese New Year, Clark Humanities Museum, CSSA, Dumplings, Lunar New Year, Oldenborg, Year of the Dragon

The Claremont community came together during Lunar New Year season to celebrate the upcoming Year of the Dragon. Some 5C events, exhibitions, and excursions that took place over the weekend of Feb. 9-11 included the CSSA (Chinese Students and Scholars Association) spring festival, language resident Manxi Wang’s dumpling making and Scripps’ Clark Humanities Museum “Year of the Dragon” reception.

Arts & Culture Features

February 16, 2024 12:29 amFebruary 16, 2024 10:21 am

Student panel discusses annual Pomona sustainability report

By Dylan Zulueta 11141 Views Environmental Sustainability, Estella, Estella Laboratory, Meatless monday, Oldenborg, Pomona College, SAVE, SAVE report, Sustainability, sustainability report

On Feb. 7, Evelyn Mineo PO ’25 and Katie Chao PO ’25 led a student panel centered on the 2023 Sustainable Action / Visible Effects (SAVE) report, highlighting the college’s strides and challenges toward 2030 carbon neutrality. Mineo and Chao were two of the three summer interns who created the report. Key points included a significant increase in transportation emissions and struggles surrounding sustainability in dining services. They emphasized the influence of student demand on sustainable practices.

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