Pomona College News

Following an agreement between Pomona College and the union UNITE HERE, the College's dining hall employees will take part in a secret-ballot election administered by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on April 30, 2013, to determine whether or not they wish to be represented by the union. The NLRB is expected to release the results of the election shortly after the voting ends.

During the remaining days leading up to the election, the College administration will continue to cooperate with the NLRB in every way possible to ensure a quick and fair election. The College administration encourages every eligible member of the dining staff to take this opportunity to vote.

For more information, please visit www.pomona.edu/unionization.

Dru Gladney, professor anthropology, was quoted in a Desert Sun article about Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S.-China relations as Xi and President Barack Obama meet for two days of talks in Rancho Mirage, California.

Pomona’s newest residence halls, Pomona Hall and Sontag Hall, have been recognized with the 2013 Green Good Design award by the European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and the Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design.

Prof. Daniel Martínez's research project "Identifying and Characterizing the Genes of Immortality in Hydra" was among the first research proposals selected for funding by The Immortality Project at the University of California, Riverside. Martínez will use the $250,000 grant to determine what genes are implicated in making the freshwater hydra effectively immortal, research that has implications for human medicine.

Pomona College has appointed Pamela Besnard, currently vice president for development and alumni relations at The New School in New York City, as its new vice president for advancement. At Pomona, Besnard will oversee the College’s fundraising operations as well as outreach programs for alumni, parents and other constituents.

Twelve graduates of the Pomona College Class of 2013 and a recent alumna were awarded prestigious Fulbright Fellowships to pursue independent research or teach English around the globe. In addition, five members of the Class of 2013 were selected as Fulbright alternates.

Nine Pomona College students on two teams—Team Chirp and Team Stingrays—earned a “Best Insight” award at this year’s DataFest, a 48-hour data-analysis competition held at UCLA on April 19-21. 

In his latest book, On the Edge: Water, Immigration and Politics in the Southwest, Char Miller investigates the challenges of living within the region’s complex natural systems and the interplay of politics, the environment and the region’s residents.

Mae Coyiuto was the subject of the May 7 Los Angeles Times story “Tennis and writing a love match for Pomona-Pitzer freshman.” Not only is Coyiuto one of the top players on the Sagehens at No. 2 singles, but she is also a published author and has started a non-profit that is helping to build libraries in her native Philippines.

A black-tie gala fundraiser, “An Enchanted Evening,” will be held for the award-winning Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company (CCBDC) on Friday, May 3, at 7:30 p.m., with exclusive performances, open dancing and special preview highlights of CCBDC’s 15^th annual spring concert “Vintage Pop Revue.”

Physics Phest is a community celebration of the relationship between the arts and physics—a night filled with music, dancing, visual and interactive arts.