Because I’ve been here for almost 3 months now, I tend to forget what a culture we have here at Pomona College and how unique it is. That is, I forgot until my boyfriend came over for the last few days and pretty much relived my first few days here. His stay here reminded me of the many quirks that are unique, not only to Pomona, but to the Claremont Colleges, so here is a (totally not extensive nor comprehensive) list (because I love those) of some things to keep in mind when introducing Pomona and the Claremont Consortium to guests that range from the more silly and trivial to the more serious and important:
1. The folklore of the number 47: The number 47 pops up a lot, so don’t forget to explain the origins of Pomona College’s fascination with the number and all of the places in which it shows up (ie. Our highway exit, the chiming of the clock tower, and our many lists)
2. Cecil the Sagehen: The sagehen isn’t exactly your average farm animal, so chances are your guest isn’t familiar with the interesting animal with the funny defense mechanism. If you, like myself, are not quite sure yourself what a sagehen is, just make sure to clarify that it indeed is not a wise chicken.
3. Gender neutral bathrooms: As funny as it was to hear my boyfriend scream at the sight of a girl in the bathroom he was told he could use, it probably would’ve been helpful and a lot less traumatic to explain the concept of gender neutral bathrooms accompanied with the several practical reasons for them (especially if your hall chose to gender neutralize all of the bathrooms in your hall).
4. Our Many Dining Halls: We have 7 dining halls, all accessible due to our meal plan. That is beautiful. However, your guest should be notified of the various qualities of the dining halls and the nuances in their food. I suggest checking a menu app or ASPC’s list of menus to compare what each of the dining halls have for each meal to decide where to go.
5. The consortium’s hangout spots: Anything from campus businesses (the Coop Fountain, The Motley, etc.) to just plain old nice places to sit and relax (Marston Quad, the SCC Lounge, a crook in a tree?) count. Show your guest that Pomona and the rest of the consortium is a beautiful place with little gems to hide away in and just watch the world from!
6. The Village: Not technically part of the consortium, but in my opinion, quite present in any of our students’ lives since it is, after all, right there, and offers many nice little businesses (and even a couple of chains) to go pick up something to eat or even to just go to for a break from campus life.
7. Classes: One thing I really take pride in is the classes I attend here at the consortium and especially at Pomona. I had a lot of fun taking my boyfriend to my Thursday classes because he got to see how the small student-to-teacher ratio influenced class dynamics and how fascinating our material is. Even if you don’t get the chance to actually take your guest to class to experience it though, you should at least brief them on the wonders of class!
8. If you’re a freshman or a sponsor, then sponsor group activity: My sponsor group is an integral part of my freshman year experience, so of course I had to it to my boyfriend (well, it was because of that and because I am literally surrounded by my group in the hall, so that was unavoidable)! I explained the concept of sponsors and their responsibilities and purpose, and then I showed him some typical sponsor group activities. Luckily, we had a birthday in our hall happen during his stay, so he got to see how we celebrated one of my spiblings’ birthdays, which was complete with door decorating, the stress that came with making sure everyone in the hall wrote her a birthday note, and of course, fountaining! Other than the birthday activities though, I encouraged him to just interact with the group in general, not only to see what our group dynamic was like, but also to see what my friends are like, which brings me to my next thing on my list, which is…
9. Friends: I think I got to introduce my boyfriend to a lot of my friends on campus. It was pretty hard to track them all down within 4 days, but he got to meet a good number of them. While taking him around campus to meet my friends, I got to kill two birds with one stone by showing him the 6 freshman dorm buildings and how they differed from one another. In my opinion, that’s another must!
10. The final thing on my list is, I think, the most important, which is sensitivity: Pomona College has a reputation (and a good one, at that!) for being sensitive. At my freshman orientation, the attitude was described as (and I paraphrase here) “Don’t be a jerk.” That means we all have to respect one another and our different views and perspectives and backgrounds. However, that means that most (if not all) of us have to get out of our comfort zones at least a little bit and encounter something new. When I got here, it was meeting my first agender person who is one of my spiblings. It took a while to get my boyfriend to get used to calling them by their preferred gender pronoun, “they,” but I think the effort that goes into learning something as simple as that teaches us a lot about respect and open-mindedness for diversity. At first, he didn’t know why we had to be careful about what we say or why certain things couldn’t be phrased in certain ways, but after explaining to him why some things that seemed so normal back home were actually very offensive to some people, he started to understand and become more aware, not only of other people, but of himself.
All in all, I think having a guest reminded me not only of what fascinated and surprised me about Pomona when I got here, but was an eye-opener in terms of what Pomona College’s culture is in relation to the world outside “the bubble.” Having a guest over not only opened his eyes, but also opened mine. Thus, you should try to have a guest over sometime!
