F E A T U R E:
New Class Grows in Diversity, Selectivity and Commitment
Of the 211 new students enrolling this fall, 60 percent are female, 36 percent are of non-majority ethnic origin and more than half hail from outside California. The average GPA for the new class is 3.53, comparable to last year’s 3.59 and up from 1996’s average of 3.33. SAT scores increased 20 points this year, averaging 610 verbal and 590 math, compared with 600 and 580, respectively, in 1997.
The new crop of students also shows a high degree of commitment to social responsibility. Students have served in a wide variety of extracurricular activities, including volunteering with groups such as Amnesty International, Students Against Drunk Driving and Model United Nations. Some have worked in crisis clinics, soup kitchens and homeless shelters; others have supported environmental causes.
They are also a diverse group: 15 (7 percent) African American; 36 (17 percent) Latino; 17 (8 percent) Asian American; 113 (54 percent) Caucasian; two (1 percent) multiracial; 21 (10 percent) declined to state; and seven (3 percent) international.
Geographic diversity within the United States hits a peak, with more than half (106) of the new students coming from outside California. Members of the new class hail from 29 states and nine foreign countries.
Beyond California, the freshmen come from Washington (13); Massachusetts (11); Oregon (10); Illinois (10); Texas (seven); Arizona (six); Connecticut (five); Missouri (four); Hawaii and Utah (three each); Florida, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York and Pennsylvania (two each); and Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Nevada, South Carolina and Vermont (one each). The new class also includes citizens of Brazil, Canada, Germany, China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Singapore and Taiwan.
When Gabriel Garcia was living on the streets, sleeping in fields, cheap
motels or an occasional couch in a friend’s home, he never dreamed he’d end
up at Pitzer College. How could a boy like him—homeless, a victim of abuse
and family turmoil—ever dream of getting a college education and a real
shot at success in life?
He got it because a high school teacher cared enough to send him to
Leeshawn C. Moore, then a Pitzer associate dean of admission and now
associate dean of students and director of the Early Academic Outreach
Program. With Moore’s help, 19-year-old Garcia is not only attending
Pitzer—working toward his goal of running his own multicultural school—he
is giving back to kids like himself.
"It’s all about the feeling we get from the kids we work with," said
Garcia, a sophomore studying psychology and sociology with an emphasis in
communications and a student mentor in the program. "All I needed was one
person to reach out to me…Now, when I talk to [the kids], and when I say I
was homeless for two years and beaten for five years, they feel they have a
shot—and that’s the gratification I get."
Garcia is one of 21 Pitzer students—most of whom are first-generation
college students—who work with staff members in the outreach program. Last
academic year, the increases in the number of young people reached by the
program and the schools involved made it the program’s best year ever.
Components of the outreach program include visits to Pitzer College and
some overnight weekends, motivational talks, two tutoring programs and
projects that stress college preparation as early as elementary school.
Youths learn about financial aid, meeting deadlines in California’s four
systems of higher education and how to repair a spotty transcript. The
program operates at Pitzer and in the participating schools.
Beyond making strides toward the goal of getting more disadvantaged kids
into higher education, Moore and Garcia said the program provides
tremendous personal satisfaction. "They thrive off of everything we tell
them," Garcia said. "They feel the positive energy. That rejuvenates
them—and us."zzz—Linda Steiner
(Read more about the Early Academic Outreach Program in the Fall '98
Participant magazine, coming in October.) FACULTY & STAFF N E W S
Campus security will be in the Scott lobby on Sept. 15 from 8 a.m. to noon
and Sept. 16 from noon to 3 p.m. to conduct annual vehicle registration for
faculty and staff. Please register your vehicle at one of these locations
before Sept. 21, the date that campus-wide ticketing begins. To register
your vehicle, bring a current Pitzer identification card, along with a
valid driver’s license and your current vehicle registration. To renew your
registration, bring your Pitzer ID and your current hangtag. For more
information, call campus security at x18170.
By now you should have received the forms to post a work-study position.
If you haven't received the forms, have already filled your work-study
jobs, or have any questions about work-study jobs or paperwork, call Teresa
Flores, program administrator, center for career and community services, at
x18519, or e-mail teresa_flores@pitzer.edu.
Douglas Northrop, assistant professor of history, won the August TRIP prize
of $25 from among those who carpool, walk, bicycle or ride buses or
Metrolink to work during the month. For more information about TRIP,
contact human resources at x18254.
Pitzer will reimburse employees up to $50 a month for passes to commute to
work by bus or Metrolink. For more information, contact human resources at
x18254. For more information about public transportation, call the Transit
Store at 622-8686 or (800) COMMUTE.
The Queer Resources Center, located on the Pomona campus in upper Walker
Lounge, keeps a list of all staff and faculty who have designated
themselves either "out" or "supportive" (of homosexuals). The center is
updating its lists for the year and invites all interested faculty and
staff to lend support. To add your name to the list, send your full name,
college, position (e.g., staff, math professor) and which list ("out" or
"supportive") via e-mail to: q4rc@pomona.edu. Appearing on the list
requires no action; it is a symbol of support for the queer community in
Claremont.
Faculty who are developing Web sites for class projects should contact
College Webmaster Nina Ellerman if they want the sites linked to the Pitzer
Web tree: nina_ellerman@pitzer.edu, or x18219.
Heather Gillespie is the new faculty assistant in Fletcher core.
Gillespie, who started July 20, is available to assist faculty with
research, exams, photocopying and more. Additionally, she has Mac and PC
expertise and will help with computer-related questions and Web development.
Four new faculty appointments have been made in the Joint Science Program:
Mary Hatcher-Skeers, assistant professor of chemistry; Adam Landsberg,
assistant professor of physics; Elizabeth Cohen, visiting professor of
chemistry; and Michael Franklin, visiting professor of biology.
The Program in American College English, or PACE, announces three new
full-time faculty appointments: Gregg Segal, Leah Herman and Paul Stewart.
Additionally, Keith Hay has been named assistant director for international
student programs.
The Washington Post announces its 1999 summer journalism internships for
college students. Twelve-week, paid reporting internships are available on
the metro, business, sports and Style staffs. Internships also are
available for students interested in copy editing, photography and graphic
design. Applicants must be juniors, seniors or graduate students enrolled
in degree programs. Previous internship or college newspaper experience
preferred. For an application, visit the Post's Web site at
www.washingtonpost.com/intern, or write: Summer News Program, News
Department, The Washington Post, 1150 15th St., N.W., Washington, D.C.
20071-5508. Application deadline is Nov. 1. A limited number of
applications is also available in the center for career and community
services. Students interested in discussing print journalism careers can
e-mail or call Patrick Lee in the public information office,
patrick_lee@pitzer.edu, x18219. Lee is a former newspaper reporter and
editor with 15 years of experience.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights, Amnesty International is collecting signatures as a pledge of
support. They have already collected 3 million signatures (real and
virtual), but want 8 million (1 percent of the world's population). The UN
secretary general has agreed to receive the pledge as a tangible statement
of the people of the world's commitment to an international agenda of human
rights. The simplest way to add your name to the pledge is to send the
following message, with your name in the subject line, via e-mail to
udhr50th@amnesty.org.au: "I support the rights and freedoms in the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights for all people, everywhere."
MONDAY
TUESDAY
Members of the Class of 2002 meet with their class liaisons from 4:30 p.m.
to 5:45 p.m. in the multipurpose room of Gold Student Center.
Everyone is invited to the first Student Senate meeting of the year at 8
p.m. in the Founder's Room of McConnell). Among the agenda items: a regular
meeting time
for the semester, an alternative computer lab, a new party organization. If
anyone
would like to see something else put on the agenda, e-mail Hayden Hamilton
at hhamilton@pitzer.edu.
WEDNESDAY
Score cool posters and other neat stuff for your room at the Trent Graphics
Poster and Art Sale from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the lobby of McConnell Center.
Sophomores meet with their class liaisons from 4:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. in
the multipurpose room of Gold Student Center. Juniors meet with their
class liaisons from 4:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. in the Founders Room of
McConnell Center.
The Pomona College Gospel Choir, directed by Barbara Lyons, holds auditions
from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in Bryant Hall, Thatcher Music Building,
Pomona. All vocal ranges are needed, especially sopranos. If you play an
instrument and wish to take part, please go and meet the director. For more
information, call Lyons at x18685.
THURSDAY
Seniors meet with their class liaisons from 4:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. in the
multipurpose room of Gold Student Center.
The dining halls close for the Five-College Turf Dinner and Activities Fair
from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Walker Beach at Pomona. Get information about
clubs and organizations.
Ray Drummond and his jazz quartet perform at 6:45 p.m. at CMC's Marian
Miner Cook Athenaeum. For more information, call x18244.
FRIDAY
Join in, win fabulous prizes and display your Pitzer pride at the Pitzer
Olympics starting at 2:30 p.m. on the Gold Student Center playing field.
Renowned L.A. choreographer Loretta Livingston presents an informal studio
performance and discusses her solo works at 7 p.m. in Richardson Dance
Studio, Scripps. For more information, call x73293.
The Pomona College Gospel Choir, directed by Barbara Lyons, holds auditions
at 7 p.m., following the choir's first class session, in Bryant Hall,
Thatcher Music Building, Pomona. All vocal ranges are needed, especially
sopranos. Participants need not be enrolled in the class. For more
information, call Lyons at x18685.
Take a trip to Old Town Pasadena with GSCAct. Transportation leaves from
Gold Student Center at 8 p.m. Did you remember to sign up by Tuesday? For
more information, call Micki Clowney at x74176.
SATURDAY
Take a stroll along Universal CityWalk with GSAct. Transportation leaves
from Gold Student Center at 7 p.m. If you didn't sign up by Wednesday,
you're outta luck. For more information, call Micki Clowney at x74176.
Seventies disco queen Evelyn Champagne King performs at 7:30 p.m. in
Garrison Theatre. Tickets are $26.50 at Huntley Bookstore. For
information, call (800) 560-0402.
SUNDAY
P R O F I L E:
Keeping Hope Alive: Early Academic Outreach Changes Lives
COMINGS & G O I N G S
ANNOUNCEMENTS & O P P O R T U N I T I E S
COMING U P
Directed independent study forms are due in the registrar's office.
Last day to sign up for GSCAct's (Gold Student Center Activities) Old Town
Pasadena trip on Friday. For more information, call Micki Clowney at
x74176 or x73321.
Last day to sign up for GSCAct's University CityWalk trip on Saturday. For
more information, call Micki Clowney at x74176 or x73321.
The Ecology Center holds its first meeting of the year at noon upstairs in
the Grove House. The center is committed to increasing environmental
awareness on the campus through a variety of public programs and will be
organizing a series of fun and inspiring events for the semester. For
further information, contact Paul Faulstich at x18818.
The Friday Noon Concert Series presents "Gershwiniana: Works For Piano,
Including 'Rhapsody in Blue,'" with Hao Huang (Scripps and CGU faculty) at
12:15 p.m. in Balch Auditorium, Scripps.
Montgomery Gallery's "L.A. Stories: Engaging the City," an exhibition of
photography, video, installations and other media exploring the many facets
of urban Los Angeles, opens with a public reception from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The show closes Oct. 11. Montgomery Gallery is located near the corner of
Bonita and College avenues on the Pomona campus. For more information,
call x18283.
KSPC-FM, the radio station of The Claremont Colleges, holds its popular "CD
& Record Expo" from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the lobby of Bridges Auditorium
(Big Bridges). More than 25 vendors offer rare records, CDs, 45s, posters,
videos and music memorabilia. It's free with your Pitzer ID.