On Sunday, Feb. 2, an unauthorized man was reportedly masturbating in one of the first-floor, gender-neutral bathrooms of Pomona College’s Lyon Court resident hall, according to Lyon resident Julia Aceron PO ’28.
Aceron said she witnessed the incident around 11 p.m. when she was brushing her teeth and reported it to Campus Safety.
“I’ve never seen this guy before,” Aceron said. “I thought it might have been someone’s friend, and they had to use the restroom. I was just acting as if it was normal. As I was brushing my teeth, he was washing his hands. Suddenly, he went back to the restroom, which was weird, considering he washed his hands. He came out of the stall and started masturbating directly behind me while looking at me.”
According to Aceron, there have been multiple sightings of unauthorized individuals in Lyon, especially during the fall semester.
“These trespassers would do various things like go into bathrooms and break into other people’s dorms and just be really inappropriate, so that’s the beginning of it,” she said.
Another Lyon resident, Alessi Rodil PO ’28, said that her friend saw a man they had not seen before walking through the hallway with his private parts exposed. Rodil, who is Aceron’s roommate, said it is unfortunate that it took an incident as serious as the one Aceron experienced to finally prompt action.
“We are scared,” Rodil said. “How many more of these incidents have to happen for actual change to be made and before it turns into actual assault or something even greater?”
Rodil said that she and Aceron “bombarded” Campus Safety with emails after the recent incident, urging them to take action.
Like Rodil, Aceron said she does not understand why it has taken so long for Campus Safety to take action, especially considering that there have been previous reports of unauthorized individuals in Lyon.
Aceron said her experience has left her feeling uneasy being in Lyon’s bathrooms.
“I’ve been more aware and cautious, and I get scared when someone opens the door and I’m in a bathroom stall,” Aceron said. “Or, if I’m showering and I hear someone come in, I get really tense. After that experience, I truly don’t know what could happen if these uninvited people keep coming in.”
According to Pomona’s Dean of Campus Life Josh Eisenberg, Campus Safety responded promptly to the incident.
“They take these incidents very seriously and are committed to responding in a timely manner,” Eisenberg wrote in an email sent to Pomona’s South Campus Community on Thursday, Feb. 6.
Eisenberg acknowledged that while the incident was addressed, such occurrences can have a broader impact on the residential community. He shared a list of ways to keep the Pomona community safe, including securely closing doors and reporting unusual behavior to Campus Safety or to the residential advisor on call.
Eisenberg concluded the email with a list of actions being taken in response to the incident, emphasizing ongoing support and safety measures for the residential community.
These actions include follow-ups with affected individuals to explore supportive resources, increased Campus Safety patrols in some areas on Pomona’s campus and nightly resident advisor checks to ensure doors are properly secured and unauthorized visitors are not present.
Eisenberg further stated that the Office of Housing and Residence Life, Title IX and CARES Office and Campus Safety will continue to collaborate on next steps to address community concerns and ensure student safety.
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