Â鶹ӰÊÓ is committed to the safety of our campus community while carrying forward our educational mission. We strive to uphold open discourse and free inquiry, but always with mutual respect.
The College announced in August safety enhancements for our campus given the protest activity that occurred in the spring.
This fall, protest activity has escalated and the individuals, the majority from the other Claremont Colleges, responsible for infractions will face sanctions that may include restitution, suspension, expulsion, as well as being banned from campus.
Existing College Policies
Â鶹ӰÊÓ is dedicated to upholding free speech and the right to peaceful protest within the lines of our Claremont Colleges demonstration policy. Resources to College longstanding policies:
- Â鶹ӰÊÓ speech code
- Â鶹ӰÊÓ student code
- Claremont Colleges demonstrations
- Space request for events and gatherings
Fall Protest Incidents
This fall semester, we have seen escalating acts of harassment and intimidation carried out against College faculty, staff, and students by individuals who conceal their identity through clothing and masks and refuse to identify themselves upon the request of staff or faculty. These acts include protests and vandalism in the late hours of the night outside the President’s house. In addition, Board of Trustees members have been viciously targeted online and via postal mail.
In the first week of classes, protesters blocked the entrances of Bridges Hall of Music during convocation and did not allow first-year students and the campus community to participate in person in one of the College’s academic traditions marking the start of the school year. In the past few weeks, protesters have also vandalized campus areas including Alexander Hall, student Amazon lockers and dining areas.
Individuals violating our conduct codes and who conceal their identity make our campus inherently unsafe and unsustainable for operation.
Carnegie Hall Incident
What happened at Carnegie Hall on Monday, October 7 was not peaceful protest, as individuals dressed to conceal their identity—the majority of whom were not Â鶹ӰÊÓ students—pushed their way into an academic building to occupy it for more than four hours.
Classes were disrupted, and high-school students visiting campus and participating in Perspectives on Pomona (POP) had to be relocated. Protesters shoved and assaulted student affairs and campus safety staff, injured a campus safety officer, obstructed entrances to refuse entrance and egress, zip-tied external doors and harassed faculty and staff working in Carnegie Hall.
In addition, they vandalized classrooms, faculty offices, common areas, alumni memorabilia, elevators, bathrooms, carpets and destroyed AV equipment. Due to the vandalism, Carnegie Hall faculty and their classes were displaced for the remainder of the week.
College Response to Carnegie Incident
- Investigations are already underway regarding this incident. Individuals responsible for infractions will face sanctions that may include restitution, suspension, expulsion, as well as being banned from campus.
- Student affairs staff has reached out to students impacted by disruption and occupation of Carnegie Hall.
- College leadership has reached out to faculty and staff affected by the occupation of Carnegie Hall.