The Stress of De-stressing: Events at Pomona

Finals week: when picking a de-stressing event is the most stressful aspect of trying to de-stress.

The hardest part about finals isn’t really those impending exams and assignments – it’s all the beautiful creative performances and events that I’m missing out on when I stay in to finish a Computer Science test program (essentially a take-home midterm to program SpaceInvaders) and feebly attempt my final papers.

Meanwhile, Chirps and Facebook notifications are exploding with events – for which the only con is that I have even less time to devote to yet another worthwhile event.

An EcoReps event - Pinterest inspired DIY egg carton wreaths!
An EcoReps event held in Lyon Lounge – Pinterest inspired DIY egg carton wreaths! 🙂 I made the red and green “poinsettia” wreath to decorate my sponsor group’s hall.

What to do, what to do?! Here are just a few of the events that I’m trying to choose from, along with a few lines from their event pages:

Pomona College Orchestra Concert — The Orchestra performed FaurĂ©: Suite from PellĂ©as et MĂ©lisande; FaurĂ©: “MĂ©lisande’s Song”; and Mahler: Symphony No. 4.

Dis/orient/ed Comedy: a night of laughs, diversity, and identity — “Join us for a free & live comedy showcase return of Jenny Yang and D’Lo, two amazing performers from LA. ‘Disoriented Comedy is the first-ever nationally-touring stand-up comedy showcase that features the fresh and diverse voices of Asian American female-identified comics and the diverse friends who love us.'”

Claremont 5C Splash Class Brainstorming Event — “Join us for inspiration and guidance on turning your interests, favorite classes, passions, and quirky hobbies into cool classes that high school students will be lining up to take!”

PEC + RHS: Bounce it All Out! — “Come join RHS [Residence Hall Staff] and PEC [Pomona Events Commimttee] for a wonderful saturday afternoon of jumping around in a bouncy house and eating tacos while dancing around.”

Native Planting! — “Come to The Wash to help the Ralph Cornell Society plant some native plants! All are welcome to come and help/hang out.”

Worker Appreciation BBQ — “Come create community and understanding at the Claremont Colleges by listening to workers’ stories and demonstrating your support for fair labor practices! Pitzer’s Grove House will be catering and Jumpstart will be providing games for the children! There will be lots of meats and veggies so come with an appetite!”

The Tempest — “The 5C Shakespeare Ensemble (also known as The Coil) presents…THE TEMPEST. Spirits, colonialism, drunkenness, romance, domination, freedom and revenge- all on one rich and strange island.”

Pomona College Jazz Ensemble Presents: Jazz Mash-Up — “Several smaller combos will also be featured, whose pieces will include Latin music, cool jazz, and gypsy jazz, soul, and pop! You’ll get a chance to hear music by great artists like Stevie Wonder, Django Reinhardt, Santana, Lee Morgan, Horace Silver, Joe Henderson, and a variety of others.”

Black and White Ball — “Dancing with the Claremont Stars! Cheer on and vote for your favorite faculty, staff, and Claremont community members as they take the stage. Enjoy a beginning Social Waltz lesson, Photo Booth and Silent Auction.” Hosted by the Claremont Colleges Ballroom Dance Company (CCBDC).

‘Is That Tattoo Right For You?’ Exploring Culture Through Body Art — “Professor Honma of the Intercollegiate Dept of Asian American Studies and Aleks Figueroa, a Long Beach-based Filipino American tattoo artist, will be leading a casual dialogue about cultural expression through body art. There will also be free temporary tattoo stenciling for those who come on time!”

Sustainable Notebook Making — “Come destress with EcoReps and make your own sustainable notebook out of used boxes, brown paper bags, and paper that has been printed on one side!”

API Boba Snack study break — “The 5C API Social Events Committee is hosting a Milk Tea Boba snack at the International Place on CMC’s campus. It’s a time to take a break from studying and instead to meet and make friends with other API students in the 5C community!”

Reverse Engineering the Sponsor Group — “The PSU [Pomona Student Union] invites you to a student-led snackussion about the formation of the sponsor group – what the process has been, and it what it could be. This is a wonderful opportunity to have your voice heard by people who matter: many of the deans in the Office of Campus Life (OCL) and Student Affairs (including Dean Feldblum, Dean Townes, Dean Jan, and Dean Grundy) will be there as silent observers of our conversation.”

Demystifying Pomona Power Structures — “Are you interested in creating institutional change? Do you know who and what positions in the administration, faculty, and student government can advocate on your behalf? Do you know how to advocate for yourself? Do we have rights as students? If these are questions you and your communities have asked, come to the Draper Center to learn about the structures in place so we (as a community/as communities) can better navigate the instiution and advocate for the most marginalized among us.”

Aftershock – The Impacts of the Midterm Elections — “Join the Pomona Student Union as we make sense of the most recent Midterm Elections. How will a Republican-controlled Congress affect policy and politics? Was this a mandate against the President? Will we see more or less discord— does this force the parties to reconcile or simply fuel the existing divides? How does the President’s executive action play into to these results and future electoral possibilities?”

Yule Ball — “PEC [Pomona Events Committee] cordially invites you to Yule Ball, our annual winter formal that you all know and love. Spend the evening partying with Prometheus and enjoying food and drink in your best formalwear.”

In the Works — “‘In The Works…’ is the annual fall concert by students of the departments of dance at Scripps and Pomona Colleges. The program will feature in-progress dance works choreographed and performed by students.”

Mistletoe Rock — “Come out to North Quad for a festive night of a cappella, live music, refreshments, hors d’oeuvres, and plenty of dancing in celebration of the holiday season!!”

Common Ground: Pomona and our Alcohol Culture — “The Social Life Council invites students, faculty, and staff to an open forum to talk about Pomona & Our Alcohol Culture. The forum will be guided by questions you provide and engage with the anonymous experiences you submitted to our SLC Questionnaire!”

Pomona Media Guild Crawl: Student Films, Sounds, Photographs, and Art — “The Crawl will feature films, sounds, photographs, and art created by members of the Pomona Media Guild. The projects will be looping on multiple screens, scattered throughout the basement of Crookshank Hall, home of Media Studies and the Pomona Media Guild. Food and refreshments too!”