April 7, 2024
Dear Pitzer Community,
I write with an update on events that transpired on Pomona’s campus on Friday that involved Pitzer students, among others. We are still learning more about what happened and will continue to do so. In the meantime, I can provide some initial information to our community.
As you may know, five Pitzer students were arrested at Pomona’s Alexander Hall on charges of trespassing or obstruction. They were taken to the Claremont Police Department, processed and later released. For incidents that involve activities of consortium students on 5C campuses that are not their home campus, intercollegiate policies and procedures apply. In that context, Pomona has banned from its campus the non-Pomona students who were arrested as part of the demonstration, pending the outcome of student judicial proceedings on their home campuses. We are in discussion with our counterparts at Pomona to allow our affected students who are taking classes at Pomona to continue to make academic progress in those classes while the process unfolds, and our students have the ability to appeal those bans to Pomona student affairs.
Pitzer has not suspended any students in connection with these events and will follow our standard policies, procedures and protocols for any disciplinary matters that emerge from them. Any such process would begin with Pitzer’s fact-finding investigation to determine whether and how to proceed further. Our student affairs staff have reached out to our five students who were detained and, as always, will support and assist them as this moves forward.
I remain grateful to this community for the ways in which it comes together, and I appreciate everyone’s interest, concern and patience in this still unfolding situation.
Best regards,
Strom C. Thacker
President
