A Message from the Office of Student Affairs Leadership Team
Inside this Special Edition of the Dean of Students Newsletter…
A Message from Your Dean of Students, Sandy Vasquez
On behalf of the Office of Student Affairs, congratulations to you and your loved ones on this incredible milestone! While Pitzer, like campuses across the nation, is continuing to evaluate what the Fall semester will look like, it is with much excitement that we have started preparing for the start of your journey at Pitzer.
You are joining a community where we believe students breathe life to the essence and fabric of our Core Values and campus community. Student voice and active engagement in our elite liberal arts College is inherent within the ethos of our shared governance and has consistently been recognized at a national level. Put simply, each and every one of you, matter, and will contribute significantly to enhancing our community. Together, you will construct and deconstruct knowledge, explore and develop innovative and collaborative solutions to problems, understand what sustainable self-care and well-being means to you, and find silver linings in pivotal and teachable moments. We hope these experiences, combined with your scholarly and community engagement pursuits, will help you explore your sense of personal values, meaning and purpose. Most importantly, you will create memories, friendships, and develop mentoring relationships with staff and faculty that will last a lifetime.
Through student engagement, the Office of Student Affairs aspires to connect you with opportunities for personal growth, development, leadership, academic support, and career exploration. Our hope is that through leveraging the rich resources and opportunities within our Pitzer community and Claremont Colleges Consortium (see below), you will leave Pitzer equipped with a transformational experience that supports life-long learning and prepares you to be competitive leaders and agents of change in your community, workforce, and beyond.
May you make time to celebrate this accomplishment! We also acknowledge and congratulate those of you who are the first in your family to attend college! The Office of Student Affairs looks forward to seeing your photo submissions for the limited edition Pitzer Fridays dedicated to celebrating you!
Sincerely,
Sandra Vasquez
Assistant Vice President & Dean of Students
WIN A PITZER SWAG STARTER PACK!
Pitzer Friday is a monthly drawing where students, faculty and staff show off their Pitzer pride every Friday, with a raffle drawing at the end of each month! We invite you to join us in participating in a special, NEW STUDENT ONLY Pitzer Friday to take place on Friday, May 22nd & Friday, May 29th! Show of your Pitzer pride and submit a photo on one or both of these dates for a chance to win a Pitzer Swag Starter Pack – full of Pitzer College goodies! The color orange and Pitzer Zoom backgrounds are great ways to show your pride, be creative! See past Pitzer Friday winners!
When uploading your photos, please include your full name in the file name – Submit Your Photos Here!
Office of Student Affairs
The Office of Student Affairs (OSA) is comprised of the following areas, and is here to support you through your journey at Pitzer College. The OSA suite, located in Scott Hall 120 houses the Vice-President for Student Affairs [Mike Segawa], Executive Assistant to the Vice-President [Katie Tewell], Assistant Vice-President and Dean of Students [Sandy Vasquez]. Assistant to the Dean of Students [Melissa Burrows], and Pitzer Academic Support Services (see below). Our other areas are located throughout campus! This office is a great place to contact if you have questions about, well, pretty much anything! If we don’t know the answer, we can definitely steer you in the right direction. Visit us in Scott Hall 120 or email us, and we will be happy to help! Please see below for more information about the other areas of student affairs here to support you.
New Student Orientation (NSO)
New Student Orientation (NSO) is a program designed to introduce you to many aspects of life at Pitzer. You will meet with faculty, staff, and other students for discussions, advising, and social events. You will register for classes and settle into your new routine. More information about summer happenings coming soon! Look out for the first summer communications about orientation on Monday May 25th! Check out Pitzer’s New Student Orientation Website.
Contact the Orientation staff with any questions at [email protected] or at 909-607-2988 to leave a message for a call back.
Center for Asian Pacific American Students (CAPAS)
CAPAS (Center for Asian Pacific American Students) seeks to enrich and develop social, intellectual and personal growth in our students by providing Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) resources as well as a welcoming, supportive environment. The Center serves as an advocate for the APIDA community and promotes an educational dialogue that embraces the unique experiences of ethnic communities.
Social Media and online: New students can engage with us over the summer and during the year.
Instagram: @pitzercapas
Facebook
Website
Career Services
Hi Pitzer College Class of 2024 and welcome to the Pitzer family! Career exploration & planning at Pitzer College means taking action, reflecting often, and being open. Our incredible staff is here to help you through your career journey, not only as a student, but as an alum as well. Our office provides resources that help students to secure opportunities like on-campus recruiting, the Pitzer Internship Fund, networking skills & contacts, and more. Later this summer you will have access to Handshake, our career management platform that connects you with employers and internships! It is also where you will be able to set-up appointments with a career advisor. Our staff is so excited to meet you all and work with you during your time at Pitzer! Stay active and connected with us through our Instagram @pitzercareerservice or our Facebook page Pitzer College Career Services!
A Message from Milly Chi, Career Services Fellow
Pitzer Academic Support Services (PASS)
The primary mission of Pitzer College’s Academic Support Services (PASS) is to assist students in achieving academic success. PASS is committed to collaborating with Pitzer’s diverse community to ensure that all aspects of campus life- learning, working, and living are accessible to all students. PASS provides resources, training, programming, collaboration, and direct services to facilitate academic success, create inclusive environments, and achieve access and equity.
Please check out our Strive 2 Thrive Instagram campaign on Instagram (@pzstrive2thrive) as well as Pitzer’s online wellness magazine, CampusWell.
You’ve heard from PASS Director, Gabriella Tempestoso in the video above, see below for messages from the other PASS staff members!
Stephanie Hannant, Asst. Dean & Case Manager
Connie Helland, Academic Coach
Rudolph Ganaden, Academic Support Coordinator
Residence Life
Welcome to Pitzer Residence Life! We strive to “Create a Caring Living-Learning Community” for all of our students. We invite you to explore the resources below, engage with this summer, and please don’t be a stranger! We will literally be your neighbors while living on-campus and we are here to help get you started on your Pitzer journey.
We encourage all students to follow-us on Facebook and Instagram as we premiere our housing application opening, discuss room amenities, answer your questions and countdown to roommate assignments.
Please review our “New Student Housing” informational website to have more of your questions answerd. And, as always, feel free to email us at [email protected], call us at 909-607-3900, schedule a Zoom conversation, or send us a DM on Instagram. We’re here to help!
5C Student Services
The Chaplains of the Claremont Colleges
Students can learn more about our services and events on our website. Stay connected on our Facebook.
There are four Chaplains on Campus available for confidential pastoral counseling and support. We are located at the McAlister Center for Religious Activities. We offer weekly services, host religious and spiritual student group meetings and events, and we host interfaith community service and gathering opportunities. Drop by The McAlister Center anytime to learn more about our fun upcoming events, meet the Chaplains, and explore our center! Feel free to email us with any questions over the summer. We look forward to meeting you!
Chicano Latino Student Affairs (CLSA)
CLSA is a 7C resource dedicated to providing programs and services that enhance the academic success and personal development of Chicano/Latino students at The Claremont Colleges. CLSA provides community building, leadership development, events surrounding cultural and community issues, and academic resources!
For more information about CLSA please visit their website.
EmPOWER Center
As the Violence Prevention and Advocacy Center of The Claremont Colleges, the Center works collaboratively to support 7C-wide educational programs and provide holistic, confidential support to all students impacted in any way by sexual assault, sexual harassment, dating/domestic violence, or stalking.
The EmPOWER Center welcomes all gender identities and expressions, sexual orientations, ages, abilities, ethnic and racial identities, religious affiliations, cultural identities, and immigration statuses. We are an open and affirming space for all.
Health Education Outreach (HEO)
HEO is a 7C resource that provides outreach and workshops on topics such as alcohol, marijuana, and other drugs, sexual health/sexuality, stress/mental health, sleep, and exercise/nutrition. Their in-office services and resources include: massage chair/relaxation room, one-on-one health education, health and wellness literature/zine collection, HIV testing, condoms and safer-sex supplies, and pregnancy testing and birth control information. For more information on HEO, visit their website.
International Place (I-Place)
I-Place provides services for international students and scholars at The Claremont Colleges, facilitating their successful adjustment to the academic and social environment, and providing accurate and relevant information and advice throughout their course of study. I-Place also provides professional services and information for administrators and faculty concerning federal regulations governing international students and national principles of ethics and standards in international education. Through a variety of events and activities, I-Place helps create an atmosphere of world community at The Claremont Colleges and surrounding communities in which students and scholars from abroad are valued members. Visit the I-Place website.
The Claremont Colleges Library welcomes you to Pitzer and the Claremont Colleges community! We want to let you know about a few things the library offers so you can be prepared when classes start:
The New to Using the Library page has the top 10 tips about using the library.New students can get hooked up with ArcGIS accounts as soon as you have your Pitzer email setup. You can get started learning GIS over the summer! Check out our GIS Resources page for more info.
Interested in exploring research by Pitzer and other 5C students? Our institutional repository, Scholarship@Claremont, houses award-winning undergraduate research projects and Pitzer senior theses.
Check out the Claremont Colleges Digital Library (CCDL). It provides open online access to digitized historical and visual collections from the library’s Special Collections and from across the seven Claremont Colleges. It is create a unique and valuable digital scholarly resource for students to explore and use in their research.
Monsour Counseling and Psychological Services (MCAPS)
MCAPS is the mental health resource for all seven of The Claremont Colleges. Our professional staff serves all enrolled students. There are no fees for counseling services and all services are confidential. Brief counseling is offered for individuals, couples and groups to help address concerns many college students face, from depression to dating, procrastination to panic attacks. Workshops and presentations on a variety of topics are offered throughout the year. Visit the MCAPS website.
Office of Black Student Affairs (OBSA)
The Office of Black Student Affairs (OBSA) supports and enhances the entire wellbeing of undergraduate and graduate students of African descent earning degrees at The Claremont Colleges. The office collaborates with faculty, staff, administrators, and alumni to ensure a comprehensive consideration and creation of services that compliment students’ education with culturally significant scholarship, programming, and events. Since OBSA honors the communities’ collective and individual diversity, the office explores a breadth of black life and culture in a wide range of opportunities. In addition to providing academic services and career advising, OBSA offers individual and small group consulting and mentorship that advances the academic, professional, and personal excellence of each student. Visit the OBSA website.
Pomona-Pitzer Athletics & the Rains Center
The Department of Physical Education and Athletics at Pomona College subscribes to the belief that participation in physical education, intercollegiate athletics, and campus-sponsored recreational activities can provide some of the most challenging and meaningful educational experiences in a student’s life. The Rains Center gym can be used by Pitzer students, and provides many physical activities such as intramural sports and fitness classes. For more information, visit the Pomona-Pitzer Athletics website.
The Queer Resource Center (QRC) is a 7 College resource center serving the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, asexual, omnisexual, pansexual and allied community at The Claremont Colleges. The QRC is a safe space that provides a visible, comfortable, and accessible center for the LGBTQQIAA community to congregate, study, and explore issues of identity. By collaborating with all entities throughout The Claremont Colleges, the QRC consistently offers high-quality, educational, social, and social justice orientated programming which reflects the diversity within the LGBTQQIAA community, building and maintaining strong coalitions with on-campus student organizations, faculty, staff, and alumni at The Claremont Colleges. Visit the QRC Website.
Student Health Services
All registered students attending The Claremont Colleges are eligible to be seen at Student Health Services. Our staff of physicians, nurse practitioners, and nurses makes every effort to provide high quality medical services in a caring and efficient manner.
All services are private and confidential. Any information regarding these services is not released to anyone without the student’s signed permission. In the interest of providing comprehensive wellness care, Student Health Services primary care providers and Monsour therapists may consult with one another when needed.
Visit the SHS website.