Welcome to Pomona! We are eagerly anticipating your arrival on campus.

Below, you will find the 10 Things To Do before you arrive along with links to websites and downloadable forms in case you need new copies.

Information about New Student Orientation can be found at: http://www.pomona.edu/campuslife/orientation/

Student Affairs is here to support you in your transition
to Pomona, and you should feel free to contact us
with any questions on concerns you may have.

Warm wishes,

Dean Feldblum



10 Things to Do Before You Arrive...

We know that you may have a variety of summer plans, so we thought to give you a jumpstart on the process, and provide you with “10 things to do before you arrive!”

We will be sending the book to the current address that you have listed. If you would like to receive the book at a different summer address, please email us by June 30th at studentaffairs@pomona.edu. Be sure to include in your email, your full name, the full address, and the subject line should read, “Summer Address”.

Thing to Do #1
Sign Up for an Orientation Adventure Trip, if you have not already done so!
Deadline: July 1, 2008

You can sign up online at: www.pomona.edu/studentaffairs/oa/. Orientation Adventure (OA) is an opportunity to enjoy several days of fun and challenging activities before campus orientation begins. Everyone must participate in Orientation Adventure. Whether you were raised in the wilderness or you’re looking for an urban outing, you’ll find an adventure to your liking. Look over the website thoroughly before selecting your trip—be adventurous—pick something you’ve never done before! All the trips are great fun and provide an opportunity to meet classmates in a relaxed atmosphere before classes begin.

Thing to Do #2
Write a Letter to Your Faculty Adviser
Deadline: July 10, 2008

Pomona prides itself on the fact that its faculty serve as the primary source of advising for students, and the faculty take their advising roles very seriously. During the summer, the Office of Student Affairs and the Office of Admissions will assign you an adviser. You will receive your faculty adviser’s name when you arrive on campus in August.

You may have a very good idea of what your major will be at Pomona. However, your faculty adviser may or may not be matched with you on the basis of these academic interests alone. For example, your adviser may be in a different department than your intended major, but he or she might be from a small town, just like you. Your adviser may have been an athlete in college, and may have a special understanding of your plans to play a sport at Pomona. Or, your adviser may be someone who has a special understanding of another co-curricular activity that interests you.

Your faculty adviser will help you think about your academic program for the year, offer advice on the nature of our curriculum and how to satisfy the Breadth of Study requirements, and talk with you about the academic experience at Pomona. Your adviser is also someone with whom you can share your ideas and plans about college life in general. You should be open and honest with your adviser, and you should keep in contact with him or her throughout the year. This relationship can be one of the most valuable ones you develop at Pomona.

To prepare for your first meeting with your adviser, please write a one to two-page letter introducing yourself to your faculty advisor discussing your academic and intellectual goals. In writing your letter, consider your broad academic goals and draft a short-term and long-term academic plan that you will discuss with your advisor during the initial advising session. Here are some questions we would like for you to consider as you write your letter:

1. After taking a look at the catalog, what specific courses interest you, and which might you like to take during your first semester of college?
2. What do you think you might like to major in and how does this fit in with your career goals right now?
3. How frequently do you expect to meet with your academic adviser and what kind of advising would be most helpful to you (e.g., do you expect brief meetings every now and then, or do you imagine needing lots of specific advice)?
4. What kinds of co-curricular activities would you like to try at Pomona (e.g., sports, leadership activities, clubs, and volunteer work) and how do you see this fitting into your academic schedule?
5. As you look through the breadth requirements, what area interests you the most? If you had an academic adviser in this breadth area, what kinds of questions might you ask this person?

Your faculty adviser and the student affairs deans will read your letter. The letter helps the deans and advisors become better acquainted with you.

You must email your letter as a Microsoft Word attachment to adviserletter@pomona.edu by July 10, 2008. If you have any questions, call the Office of Student Affairs at (909)621-8017.

Thing to Do #3
Enroll in or Waive out of the Student Accident and Sickness Insurance Plan (SASIP) of the Claremont Colleges
Deadline: July 10, 2008

Pomona College requires that all students carry health insurance. Using the Claremont College Health Insurance Enrollment/Waiver form you may elect to enroll in the student accident and sickness insurance plan (SASIP) provided through the Claremont Colleges, or you may waive out if you have a private insurance policy. If you do not waive out, you will be automatically enrolled in the student health insurance plan through the Claremont Colleges.

In the best interest of our students’ health and access to care, we require that a Pomona College student’s alternative coverage be comparable to the Claremont Colleges’ Student Accident and Sickness Insurance Plan (SASIP) if you wish to waive out.

Please review your coverage thoroughly to ensure comparable coverage prior to signing the waiver form. You are responsible for all medical expenses resulting from services that are not covered by your health insurance.


Acceptable Comparable Health Insurance Coverage
Refer to the SASIP website at www.renstudent.com/claremont for a complete description of the insurance plan. In order to waive coverage, your plan must meet the following criteria:

• It must cover treatment for emergency care, medical and surgical treatment, diagnostic procedures, laboratory tests, treatment of mental and nervous disorders, specialty consultations, and hospitalization (including inpatient hospitalization for mental health/psychiatric care and chemical dependency) while at Pomona College.
• It must cover you for all the above services the entire time you are a student at Pomona College, including time spent traveling in the United States or abroad.
• It must have a maximum benefit that is at least $100,000 per injury or sickness.
• It must cover injuries resulting from the practice or play of intramural/club sports.
• It must be domiciled in the United States.

To Waive or Enroll in the Student Health Insurance Plan: You must complete and submit the Insurance Enrollment/Waiver Form and submit to the Office of Student Affairs by July 10, 2008. If you have any questions, please call the Office of Student Affairs at (909) 621-8017.

The 2008-2009 fee for the student health insurance plan is $910 for the period August 9, 2008 to August 27, 2009. If you enroll in Claremont Colleges’ SASIP plan, the fee will be reflected on your tuition bill.

Students not completing this form or providing private medical insurance information prior to the beginning of the semester will be automatically enrolled in the Claremont College student insurance plan, and the student’s account will be charged with the current annual student SASIP fee. The College further requires that proof of insurance be provided to the College EACH year that you are an enrolled student.

If you do not have alternative health insurance and require financial assistance to enroll in the SASIP plan through the Claremont Colleges, please submit a written appeal to the Office of Financial Aid at financial_aid@pomona.edu.

The Claremont Colleges’ Student Health Services and the Monsour Counseling and Psychological Services Center are available to all enrolled students. These services are open to students, whether or not the student has purchased the CUC student health insurance plan. Office hours are Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. when classes are in session. Consultation and treatment by physicians and nurses at Student Health Services and psychologists and psychiatrists at Monsour are available without charge. There are charges for medicines, laboratory tests, and special supplies.

Treatment by specialists in the community can be arranged by the Student Health Service or Monsour, and is paid for by students, not by the College. Emergency health services for serious injuries or for after-hours or weekend treatment are available at two nearby hospitals and several urgent care clinics. When these services are used, the student, not the College, pays for treatment. For students insured under the CUC student health insurance plan, the deductible is waived if the student first utilizes and/or is referred by the Student Health or Counseling Services or if the Services are closed; in addition, in-network services may be covered at 100% for the insured student. Please see the SASIP brochure for complete details at www.renstudent.com/claremont.

Thing to Do #4
Complete the Physical Exam Form.
Deadline: August 1, 2008

Student Health Services
 
Your physician should complete the Health Entrance Exam Form (Physical Examination Form) and return the form to Student Health Services by August 1, 2008. The information it contains is confidential and will not be reviewed by the Office of Student Affairs.
 
Each year students come to Pomona from all over the world. In treating them, Student Health Services needs to know as much as possible about the state of their health and that required immunizations have been completed.
After you complete the health history section, have your family physician complete the remainder of the physical examination form and review the immunizations that have been received. A Tuberculin skin test is required prior to enrollment at Pomona. A number of immunizations are required as well: measles; mumps and rubella with a measles booster after age 4-6; and tetanus/diphtheria with a booster in the last ten years. Additional recommended vaccinations include hepatitis B, meningococcal meningitis, polio, and varicella (chickenpox).

Submit Physical Exam Form to:
Student Health Service
757 College Way
Claremont, CA 91711

Thing to Do #5
Complete the Monsour Counseling Center Survey
Deadline: August 1, 2008
 
You will also need to fill out a form that will be helpful to the Monsour Counseling and Psychological Services Center. Please complete the form and return it to Student Health Services by August 1, 2008. This information is confidential and will not be reviewed by the Office of Student Affairs. They can provide you with better service if they have complete information about your mental health history.

Submit Monsour Counseling Center Survey to:
Student Health Service
757 College Way
Claremont, CA 91711

Thing to Do #6
Complete the Emergency Contact and Supplemental Information Form
Deadline: July 10, 2008

All students must complete and submit the Emergency Contact and Supplemental Information Form to the Office of Student Affairs by July 10, 2008. The Physical Examination form that you complete and send to Student Health Services is confidential and will be seen only by the staff at Student Health Services. There may, however, be health issues that could affect your safety and well-being in the residence halls. The Office of Student Affairs would like to know about those, as well as your emergency contact information in the event of an emergency. If you have any serious allergies or take medication without which your health or emotional stability would be threatened, please share that information with us. In addition, if there are other health issues that you would like to tell us about to help us ensure your well-being at Pomona, we urge you to do so. If you have any questions, please call the Office of Student Affairs at (909) 621-8017.

Thing to Do #7
Consider Having the Meningitis Vaccine.

The Centers for Disease Control Advisory Committee on Immunization noted in 1999 that first-year College students living in residence halls have a six-fold increased risk for meningitis because they are in frequent, close proximity to each other. Although meningitis is rare, its onset is rapid and can lead to severe and permanent disabilities such as hearing loss, brain damage or even death.

During academic year 2000–01, a Pomona first-year student suffered a case of this frightening disease. He was quickly diagnosed, hospitalized, and treated. He fully recovered, but it brought home to the community how important it is for parents and new students to understand the dangers of bacterial meningococcal disease.
A vaccine is available that protects against four types of the bacteria that cause meningitis in the United States. These four types account for nearly two-thirds of meningitis cases among college students.

Pomona College recommends that you seriously consider having the vaccine that is available against meningitis. While it does not provide 100% protection, it greatly reduces the bacterial strains from which meningitis can be contracted and contributes to the health of the entire community.

Thing to Do #8
Assess Your Personal Property Insurance.

Pomona College does not assume responsibility for loss or damage to personal property belonging to students. Parents and students should inspect their insurance policies to determine whether the limits and conditions are sufficient to cover student property in Claremont. A brochure is included in this mailing regarding theft or property insurance. Loss or theft of personal property from student residence hall rooms does occur and is aggravated by students not locking the doors to their rooms while away from them. It is important to both exercise caution at Pomona as one would at home, and to maintain adequate personal insurance to cover items that may be lost, stolen or damaged. Pomona College does not cover loss or damage to students’ personal property.

During vacations, students are urged to check their valuables into one of the locked alarmed trunk rooms available on campus. These rooms provide an additional measure of safety, but the College does not assume liability for losses which may occur. Students and parents are urged to:
1) Be sure that student property is covered under an insurance policy.
2) Purchase supplemental insurance for students’ personal property if needed.
3) Leave all but essential valuables at home.
4) Develop and encourage prudent habits for personal security, especially the habit of locking residence hall room doors when sleeping or when not in the room.

Thing to Do #9
Consider Signing up for Zipcar Membership

Pomona has contracted with Zipcar to provide rental cars for students on campus. While the College does allow all students to bring cars to campus, we strongly encourage students to identify alternative means of local transportation. Zipcar is a service that rents cars (including Honda Civic Hybrids) to students 18 and over with good driving records. The rental costs are $7.00 hourly or $48 for the day after a $35 membership fee is paid. Zipcar allows students to have short-term use of a car for shopping, medical appointments or other personal errands. For more information about membership eligibility, or to sign up, please go to http://www.zipcar.com/pomona/.

Thing to Do #10
Complete your Summer Reading!

Each year, Pomona College chooses a “first year” book selection to be provided to all the members of the incoming class. During Orientation, students listen to a faculty speaker on the book, followed by small group discussions led by faculty members.
This year, in anticipation of the 2008 presidential election, we have decided to do something slightly different. In early July, we will be sending each of you one of the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates’ memoirs. Half of you will receive John McCain's 2003 book, Worth the Fighting For: The Education of an American Maverick and the Heroes who Inspired Him. The other half will be receiving Barack Obama's book, Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, originally published in 1995. These books will be sent out on a random basis. We do encourage you to read both books if you can!

If you will be at a different address from the one that is on file with us, please send us an email with your summer address to studentaffairs@pomona.edu so that the summer book can be sent to you as efficiently as possible.


Pomona’s 10 Things to Do Before You Arrive Checklist:

 Thing to Do #1
Sign Up for an Orientation Adventure Trip!
Deadline: July 1, 2008
Register online: www.pomona.edu/studentaffairs/oa/

 Thing to Do #2
Write a Letter to Your Faculty Adviser
Deadline: July 10, 2008
Send to: adviserletter@pomona.edu

 Thing to Do #3
Enroll in or Waive out of the Student Accident and Sickness Insurance Plan (SASIP) of the Claremont Colleges
Deadline: July 10, 2008
Send to: Office of Student Affairs
550 North College Avenue, Suite 102
Claremont, CA 91711
Fax: (909) 607-7288

 Thing to Do #4
Complete the Physical Exam Form
Deadline: August 1, 2008
Send to: Student Health Service
757 College Way
Claremont, CA 91711

 Thing to Do #5
Complete the Monsour Counseling Center Survey
Deadline: August 1, 2008
Send to: Student Health Service
757 College Way
Claremont, CA 91711

 Thing to Do #6
Complete the Emergency Contact and Supplemental Information Form
Deadline: July 10, 2008
Send to: Office of Student Affairs
550 North College Avenue, Suite 102
Claremont, CA 91711
Fax: (909) 607-7288

 Thing to Do #7
Consider Having the Meningitis Vaccine

 Thing to Do #8
Assess Your Personal Property Insurance

 Thing to Do #9
Consider Signing up for Zipcar Membership

 Thing to Do #10
Complete your Summer Reading!
And email us if you have a different summer address.
Send: studentaffairs@pomona.edu