THE COLLEGE
Myrlie Evers-Williams ’68 Donates Her Archives
Civil rights pioneer Myrlie Evers-Williams ’68, who served as chairwoman of the NAACP and gave the invocation at President Barack Obama’s second inauguration, donated her archival collection of papers and memorabilia to Pomona. The gift was celebrated with a 90th birthday tribute to Evers-Williams, who moved to Claremont with her young children and enrolled at Pomona the year after the 1963 assassination of her husband Medgar Evers in Mississippi. The thousands of items in her archive include photos with U.S. presidents and key civil rights figures, campaign materials, congressional transcripts and more.
Campus Protests Over Israel-Hamas War
Protests on the Pomona College campus related to the Israel-Hamas war started after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and Israel’s retaliation in Gaza, expanding on campuses across the U.S. During a pro-Palestinian protest at Pomona on November 29, a nearby Pomona College lecturer was arrested on campus by Claremont Police, who were summoned by Claremont Colleges Campus Safety without contacting the Pomona administration. With the support of the College, a trespassing charge against the faculty member was dropped.
Test Optional Admissions Continue Indefinitely
After a faculty vote, students applying to Pomona College no longer are required to provide standardized testing scores for admission. The policy initially was instituted for fall 2021 after the COVID-19 pandemic made it difficult for students to take the SAT or ACT. Though testing is no longer required, students still may choose to submit test scores to support their application.
Community Engagement Center in Pomona
The Pomona College Community Engagement Center opened in downtown Pomona, once again giving the College a physical presence in the city where it was founded in 1887. The center offers community collaborations and resources as well as after-school activities for teens such as games, art projects, tutoring and workshops on college access and post-high school options.
CAMPUS
Striving for Carbon Neutrality by 2030
A progress report toward the College’s goal to be carbon neutral by 2030 noted record lows in overall waste for a fully on-campus year and a record-low in water use. However, use of gas and electricity increased by 15% between 2022 and 2023. New solar panels at Frank Dining Hall and the Center for Athletics, Recreation and Wellness in addition to eight existing solar installations are among the efforts to reduce emissions. Reaching carbon neutrality by 2030 likely will involve the purchase of high-quality carbon offsets to cover remaining gaps after all efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions have been undertaken, campus officials said.
Mason and Crookshank Turn 100
The Mason Hall and Crookshank buildings on what is now the Stanley Academic Quad on the west side of College Avenue marked their centennials. Mason Hall was completed in 1923 as a state-of-the-art chemistry facility. Crookshank Hall originally was a zoology building.
EVENTS
Payton Distinguished Lectureship
Anita Hill, a lawyer, educator, author and advocate, gave the sixth annual John A. Payton ’73 Distinguished lecture on October 28. Hill is remembered for testifying about allegations of sexual harassment against Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas during his 1991 confirmation hearings.
PASSINGS
Pomona said final farewells to four faculty members who served the College for decades: Emeritus Professor of Philosophy Stephen Erickson, who taught at Pomona for 56 years; Emerita Professor of Religious Studies Margaret “Peggy” Dornish, who arrived at Pomona in 1969; Emeritus Professor of Economics Hans Palmer, a former dean of the College and a faculty member for 46 years; and Professor of Russian Language and Literature Jerome J. Rinkus, who taught at Pomona for three decades.
ALUMNI
Alumnus Confirmed as U.S. Ambassador
Eric Kneedler ’95 was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Rwanda, a year after Michael Adler ’86 was confirmed as U.S. Ambassador to South Sudan.
ATHLETICS
Women’s NCAA Singles Champion
Angie Zhou ’25 won the NCAA Division III singles title in women’s tennis, a feat accomplished previously by Sagehens Shelley Keeler ’92 (1992), Claire Turchi ’97 (1994) and Siobhan Finicane ’10 (2008).
Another Division III Water Polo Title
The women’s water polo team claimed its second consecutive USA Water Polo Division III National Championship, defeating Sixth Street rival Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, 14-13, in an overtime thriller in Illinois.
Men’s Cross Country Wins Third NCAA Title
The Pomona-Pitzer men's cross country team fought their way to a one-point victory to claim the 2023 NCAA Division III Men's Cross Country National Championship. It was the program’s third national championship, joining the 2019 and 2021 titles.
Pomona Played USC at Coliseum 100 Years Ago
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum marked its centennial, recognizing Pomona College as one of the participants in the first varsity college football game played in the now-storied stadium. Pomona lost to USC, 23-7, on October 6, 1923.
ELSEWHERE
- The Israel-Hamas war began on October 7 when Hamas militants launched a terror attack that killed approximately 1,200 people in Israel, also abducting more than 200 hostages. Israel responded with a siege of the Gaza Strip that killed tens of thousands of Palestinian civilians, sparking a major protest movement on U.S. campuses.
- Former President Donald J. Trump became the first former or current U.S. president to be indicted when a Manhattan grand jury handed down a felony indictment for falsifying business records related to a hush-money payment before the 2016 election to an adult-film actress who alleged an affair with Trump. By the end of 2023, Trump faced 91 felony counts in four cases, including a classified documents case in Florida and election-interference cases in Washington, D.C., and Georgia.
- The U.S. Supreme Court ended Affirmative Action in college admissions, ruling that race-conscious admissions violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.