Living and learning at pomona

A typically sunny scene at Walker Beach, the recreational area next to north campus dorms.

Pomona takes pride in being a residential college where the line between living and learning is practically non-existent. The quality of what you will learn here outside the classroom, simply from living, working and playing as a member of such a closely knit, energetic and amazingly talented community, cannot be overstated.

Residence Life

On-campus housing is guaranteed to any student who requests it, and over 97 percent of Pomona students choose to live there. Pomona’s 12 residence halls range in size from about 60 to 300 students, with most housing 120-150. All are coed, and more than two-thirds of the rooms are singles. Each building has one or more resident advisers—students who live in the hall and serve as administrative liaisons.

First-year students are grouped into small sponsor groups, designed to help ease the transition from home to dorm life. The groups are coed and consist of 10 to 20 students who live in adjacent rooms in the residence halls, along with two sophomore sponsors who help them learn the ropes of campus life—from joining a club and buying books to finding out where to get the best pizza in Claremont or how to get into Los Angeles without driving (it can be done).

Dining Halls

Taco Tuesdays, sushi and burger bars, vegan specialties and smoothies and are just a few of the student favorites offered at the three Pomona dining halls. The dining plan also allows students to eat at any of the other four undergraduate colleges and includes a late-evening study break known as “Snack,” where as many as 400 students gather at 10:30 at Frary dining hall to socialize and refuel on treats such as quesadillas, cereal and soft pretzels. The “board plus” option can be used at a number of other venues, including the Coop Fountain and the Sagehen Café on the Pomona campus.

Clubs and organizations

Pomona offers countless ways to get involved in campus life—to become a part of the many smaller communities that help shape a college experience —and the inclusive, supportive nature of the community makes it easy to join in. You may

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choose to be part of the Glee Club, to live in a language hall or to become an On the Loose outdoor club guide. There are also myriad opportunities to get involved in dance, theatre and music productions, newspapers and magazines, art shows and clubs that appeal to almost every interest.

Any list of organizations at Pomona is only a snapshot. New interest groups and organizations are founded and funded with great frequency. Some, like the Mortarboard Society and Kappa Delta fraternity, have been around for years; others are created in response to political or societal issues; still others vanish and are reborn as student interests shape the times. Pomona students also can get involved in any of the groups associated with the other Claremont Colleges, expanding the roster of choices to more than 225 clubs and organizations.

Athletics

Innertube waterpolo is one of the many intramural sports, along with Ultimate Frisbee and dodgeball.

If the goal of a liberal arts education is to educate the whole person, then athletics and physical fitness are an important part of that larger picture. About 20 percent of our students play on varsity teams, with hundreds more participating in intramural and club sports.

Pomona combines forces with Pitzer College to field 20 varsity teams—half for men, half for women—that compete in Division III NCAA athletics and as members of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC). Our coaches are faculty members, our facilities among the best, and our weather ideal for year-round outdoor activities. Sagehen baseball players don’t have to wait for the snow to melt to start their seasons, and our tennis players can hit the courts all year round.

Varsity athletics is only one piece of the physical education program. P.E. classes, intramural and club sports and recreational opportunities round out a program that has something that will appeal to almost everyone—from students interested in swordplay and foosball to sprinters and midfielders.