Dear Pomona College Community:
As I write with my latest update on developments in Washington related to higher education, I do so with hopes that you are doing okay in the aftermath of last night’s scary developments. We are of course pleased that it turned out to be a false alarm and that everyone is safe. But events like this tax our coping mechanisms, and I encourage everyone to consider whether they want to take advantage of the many support and counseling services available on campus for students and faculty and staff. I am grateful for the way everyone on campus looked out for each other throughout this situation, and I hope that we can all find time to rest and restore ourselves during spring break.
It was wonderful to be in community at the Staff Forum this week and to experience again personally the vital engagement of our staff in everything the College does for our mission of educating our talented students from all backgrounds. My special thanks to the members of Staff Council for their leadership on campus and execution of this well-attended staff gathering.
Indeed, allow me to take a moment to thank faculty, staff and students for your graciousness in welcoming me into this acting presidency role and making the experience so meaningful. Amid all the challenges we face, working with you in this position reminds me every day why I am optimistic about Pomona and its future.
As you know, the issues under discussion about higher education seem to change daily. We continue to be vigilant about these developments and how they could impact our campus. First I want to speak to questions raised by recent nationwide discussions by making clear that the College strongly upholds every student’s right to peaceful protest, as established in the Claremont Colleges Demonstration Policy. Allow me also to provide an update on several other matters of current national discussion.
Claims of Antisemitism
As you may have seen, last week, the College received an “F” grade in the campus antisemitism report card released annually by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). This is of course disappointing, and something we take quite seriously. Subsequently, the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) included Pomona in its list of 60 higher education institutions with pending antisemitism OCR investigations that were warned of potential enforcement actions if they did not comply with Title VI to protect Jewish students on campus.
Let me be categorically clear: The College is firmly committed to assuring the right of our Jewish students—and of all our students—to access the full benefits of a Pomona education, including taking every appropriate step to prevent antisemitism and all forms of shared ancestry discrimination and harassment. Furthermore, we will continue to work on concrete steps to live up to this value, including taking additional actions to support our Jewish students and ensure their uninterrupted access to higher education on our campus.
Executive Orders and Related Impacts
- Immigration: This past weekend, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) carried out one of its first reported enforcement actions on a U.S. college campus, at Columbia University. This matter leads me to remind you of the information and FAQs provided to you via email last month about steps to take if such enforcement actions occur at Pomona. (To access this material, log in to the my.pomona.eduportal.) As we head into spring break, I also encourage international students to review this resource guide for international students as they travel.
- DEI: We continue to monitor related emerging federal decisions and guidance. Please know that the College is firmly committed to our principles of opportunity, belonging and engagement as an institution and that we comply with the law. Thank you for all that you do in support of our mission. It is critical to the success of Pomona.
- Endowment Tax: The College is following closely budget discussions in Congress that could result in increases to the endowment tax for select nonprofit colleges and universities. We are partnering with other liberal arts colleges and our national educational associations to convey to federal legislators and their staffs the risks to education, access and affordability that increases in the endowment tax could create.
- Federal Funding for Research: The litigation challenging the executive orders attempting to freeze research federal funds continues to hold those orders at abeyance, and there have been positive signs in those court cases, which we continue to monitor closely.
Community Care and Resources
I recognize that the many uncertainties these government matters create can be distressing. If you have questions about resources or how you can help in the College’s related efforts with our representatives and their offices, we encourage you to reach out to the following key contacts on our campus:
For student-related questions and support resources:
Dean of Students Avis Hinkson or her staff members who serve as class deans.
For questions related to faculty:
Dean of the College Melanie Wu
For research funding inquiries: Director of Sponsored Research Dean Gerstein and Senior Director of Foundation and Corporate Relations Martina Ebert
For staff and employee support:
Assistant Vice President of Human Resources Alejandra Gaytan
As we head into spring break, I wish our students and faculty a wonderful and well-deserved break. I look forward to seeing you back on campus afterward and to enjoying the second half of this semester with you.
Best wishes,
Bob
Robert Gaines
Acting President and Edwin F. and Martha Hahn Professor of Geology