8 things you will find Pitzer students doing outside of the classroom

In the classroom, Pitzer students are rocking their assignments and exams. Outside of class, they are rocking life! In between the countless hours of studying and doing homework, we are doing a variety of activities. Here is my list of the things you will find Pitzer students doing outside of the classroom!

1. Tend to the Garden

garden

Do you have a green thumb? I don’t, but many of my friends here do! For everyone with green thumbs at Pitzer, they love tending to Pitzer’s Organic Garden during their free time in-between classes and assignments! Pitzer’s Garden is completely student run, and some of our produce is even used over at the Shakedown Café!

2. Groove at the Grove

What do twinkling lights, student DJs and student bands all have in common? They can all be found at Groove at the Grove, one of the best events for students on weekends. During Groove at the Grove, our outdoor classroom becomes a musical bonanza filled with amazing live performances from Pitzer students!

3. Start a Protest

If you are ever looking for someone to help you start a protest, then you’re in the right place! Protests are our middle name, and we are definitely your “go to” when initiating social action. From campaigning for farm workers’ rights to petitioning for oil endowment divestment, many students at Pitzer fill their free time engaging in actions that positively impact the world.

4. Draw on the Free Wall

free-wall

Perhaps the most visible thing our students do outside of the classroom is paint and write on our free wall (You can paint murals on designated places throughout campus with approval of the Aesthetics Committee). If you ever want to know what’s on the mind of a Pitzer student, the free wall will tell you! You’ll find artistic representations of local and global issues that usually spark educational discussion across campus!

5. See or Join our A Cappella or Pangea Dance Groups

If you’re like me and you have vocal cords as heavenly as Frank Ocean’s and dance moves as electric as Justin Timberlake’s, then we have a club for you! Our student performers leave it all on the stage with our a cappella and dance groups; they are a sight and sound to behold (much like my dance and song renditions are in the shower).

6. Volunteer for Tutors for a Cause

tutorsforacause

One of the best ways that our students start their Saturdays is by tutoring the lively bunch of young students that come to campus for Tutors for a Cause. You can find Pitzer students in the classroom helping with math homework or out on the clock tower lawn, playing an intense soccer match with all the youth. You never know what to expect with these fun kids, and they always keep us on our toes!

7. Do Some Yoga on the Mounds

After a long day of classes, you can find students rolling out their yoga mats and relaxing on the mounds. And the best part is that it’s a great way to recharge your battery after a day of hard work studying. Namaste anyone?

8. Play Beach Volleyball

beach-volleyball

There’s no better way that Pitzer students enjoy the Southern California weather than by playing some beach volleyball with friends! Should you join our campus and have a yearning for playing, you won’t even need a team! Just swing by the volleyball court and jump in the game! But be weary should you line up across the net from me; I have a tendency to not hold back when going up for a spike!

While these are my top eight things to do at Pitzer outside of the classroom, there are literally hundreds of ways that our students spend their time. To learn more about our awesome student life experience, please be sure to visit our campus on a tour, information session or overnight visit to experience Pitzer firsthand.

 


Posted by Alex Ruiz ’17, Biology

Ruiz, Alex

 

The Prison Education Project

I came to Pitzer interested in health and nutrition. I thought I might join a dance class, or even a choral group. These were the types of things I was familiar with, and knew I would enjoy. Now in my senior year, I could tell you that the dance and chorus groups are great, and a lot of my friends can tell you about nutrition in detail. For me, however, my passion now lies elsewhere.

—“Mom, Dad, don’t panic. I am now teaching at a local prison.”—

I get a kick out of hearing the responses to my volunteer work in local prisons. Concerned adults warn me of the risks of sharing my identity. Students ask me how it compares to other community service.

Teachers want to know the lessons I give. The number one question I get is “what made you interested in doing that?” The truth is, nothing made me look into prison work. I just happened to read an email one day about an orientation for the Prison Education Project, and it happened to be during my lunch period. What made me commit to the project was the emphasis the directors put on the importance of our time. We, the students, were the glue that held the project together.

We are in the prime of our education and bringing that skill set inside the prison will allow it to come out with the prisoners when they leave. Suddenly, my job felt important. My personal skill set felt irreplaceable.

My work with prisons began in Claremont, and carried onto Ecuador.

While studying abroad, I volunteered at a daycare for children with parents in prison. Now, I am writing a thesis on prison reintegration programs, and hoping to create a database of the programs offered throughout the Greater Los Angeles Area. I still hold interests in nutrition, dance, singing, and more. I mostly want to make the point that you never know what else you might be interested in. I feel incredibly fortunate to live in a community that provides endless opportunities with a swift click on an email. The best advice I can give to a student entering college is TRY EVERYTHING. Attend everything like an informational interview. Ask the deep questions and get a feel for how your will fit into the bigger picture. Taking free time to yourself is great, but when you look back at college, you won’t remember the naps you took during the day. You will remember the connections you made and the words people spoke that sparked your interest. And nothing is more satisfying than telling your friends and family you are doing something that you are truly passionate about and you took it on all by yourself.

 

Posted by Mary Nash ’15, Sociocultural Anthropology and Political Studies

mary-DSC_2292

Let’s Play Ball

Hi everyone! Things are now officially quiet in the office, but as the office slows down, life around campus speeds up. Last week students were finishing up finals, others were moving out and graduation was on Saturday.

Last week, with graduation is right around the corner, there were a ton of events going on for the senior class ranging from graduation rehearsals to parties at a Professor’s house and a reception at the President’s house. Wednesday, however, was one of Pitzer’s best traditions. The Faculty and Staff vs seniors softball game. Yet again the faculty and staff won!!! In fact we have won every single year, this may be because we have the math department on our side creatively keeping score, but I think it is just because we are that good.

As always, the softball game was a lot of fun. Everyone from the maintenance staff to the President came out. Unfortunately Angel and Arnaldo were busy, but don’t worry, I represented for the Admission Office.

I think my favorite part of the game was Jim Marchant’s (our Dean of Students) new haircut.

1 (1)This year he made a bet with the senior class. The bet ran, if the senior class got 100% participation with the senior class gift Jim would get a Mohawk for graduation. As you can see, the seniors succeeded in getting 100% participation in the gift campaign.

Here is another picture of Jim looking tough as nails (I think we also win the competition for having the coolest Dean of Students).

Jim mohawk and tattooThe senior class gift is the first chance for graduating seniors to give back to the Pitzer community.

Just so the seniors don’t get all of the attention the faculty and staff campaign was also a huge success. This your 90% of our faculty and staff gave back to Pitzer. This puts us at number one in the country for faculty and staff giving.
Back to the softball game, it was obvious that we were going win because, as Justin said, we had a ringer, Laura Skandera Trombley Pitzer’s President.
3Can’t you see the fear in the students’ faces as she steps to the plate?
Here is a picture of Chris Brunell, our Director of Residence Life, right before he crushes a ground rule double.
4And just to prove that I was out there, here is me waaaayyy out in leftfield.
5I would like to say that I was responsible for catching many pop flies, but in reality the ball came absolutely no where near me.
But hey, I did get my base hit! And let me tell you running on grass in dress shoes is not easy.
6All in all it is an amazing tradition and Adam, one of our Admission Fellows who graduated in January even came back to play.
7
As you can see he has been missing the southern California sun.
Before I leave you to start preparing for graduation, I have a quick note for any juniors out there. The Claremont Colleges Receptions (or CCRs) are about to begin again. These receptions are a great way to get an introduction to the Claremont Colleges and gives you the change to speak with representitives from CMC, Harvey Mudd, Scripps and of course Pitzer. Here is the schedule of where we will be in the next few weeks.

Washington, DC- Sunday, May 17 at 2:00 p.m.
Philadelphia, PA- Monday, May 18 at 7:00 p.m.
New York, NY- Tuesday, May 19 at 7:00 p.m.
Boston, MA- Wednesday, May 20 at 7:00 p.m.
Honolulu, HI- Sunday, May 31 at 1:00 p.m.If you are interested in attending please register on our shared website
https://claremontmckenna.gotoextinguisher.com/survey/index.php?time=2009-05-18%2019:00:00&id=158&timeID=592

Tune in for graduation pictures as soon as I get them.


Posted by Danny Irving, Admission Counselor

Danny Leaps for joy