Dear Pomona College Community,
With reading days here, and finals next week, I will keep my last weekly message of the semester brief.
Last week, we had two COVID-19 positive test results among students. However, we have seven COVID-positive results from students so far this week. In Los Angeles County as a whole, daily test positivity rates have been ticking up recently as well.
We’ve been fortunate to have a successful semester back on campus, so let’s stay on track with our safety steps, wear masks indoors and follow all protocols – L.A. County officials do not foresee changes to their public health guidance at this time. As a reminder, please do get your vaccine booster when you become eligible.
Shifting to athletics and other campus news, I want to offer my congratulations to the men’s water polo team on winning the national championship last weekend in a dramatic overtime victory over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. Following men’s cross country, this was the second Sagehen athletics championship in little more than two weeks.
These victories came as we received sad news of the passing of a true Sagehen trailblazer in tennis. Darlene Hard ’61 won seven Wimbledon titles in doubles and mixed doubles, and she ranked as high as No. 2 in the world as a singles player. An early mentor to Billie Jean King, Hard was hailed by King at her passing as “a major influence on my life as an athlete, teammate and friend.”
I also want to point you to a last chance to see the Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College’s powerful exhibition Alison Saar: Of Aether and Earthe, which closes Dec. 18. The Los Angeles Times called it “enthralling” and noted that “it’s hard to think of any recent art more salient right now.” I wholeheartedly agree.
I wish everyone the best as finals approach – the winter break is almost here. Thank you to our faculty and staff for all your work for a successful return to campus.
With best wishes,
Gabi