TL; DR Occupy Pomona will use this form to provide more information to Pomona College about the importance of financially supporting staff through this difficult period

This survey is in response to the current news Pomona College shared through an email about furloughing staff beginning on October 1st, 2020. Our hope is to create a broader narrative about the importance of staff members to students and the impact they left on alumni. The college administration has framed the furloughs as a necessary decision in order to “offer the same high level of support and quality of education to benefit future generations of Sagehens in perpetuity” President Starr.

However, we do not think it is fair for the college to present this situation as an either or. We have witnessed how the college inadequately supported students with the evictions in March 2020, and now we see a similar trend with the furloughs of staff members who are among the most vulnerable communities (i.e. older, people of color, women, and low income). Occupy Pomona aims to advocate for the needs of staff members through the experiences of students and their value beyond the monetary view Pomona has opted to highlight.  

All responses are anonymous and will be kept confidential.

Please feel free to be as general or specific as you would like to be. We appreciate all experiences you want to share. Although Pomona has not released demographic information about the people being furloughed or the positions that are at risk; we encourage you to think about your experiences with dining hall staff, housekeeping staff, housing and residence life staff, and ITS among others.

A brief history of Occupy Pomona:

In March of 2020, student organizers at Pomona College created Occupy Pomona to advocate for students facing housing insecurity in the wake of COVID-19. As the year progressed, we created a list of demands as well as a GoFundMe to raise funds for student needs, such as rent, food, and medical costs. At the end of our campaign, around June 2020, we had raised and distributed nearly $170k directly to students. Alongside our efforts to ensure the safety of all Pomona Students, Occupy Pomona also advocated for a universal pass policy amidst student concerns regarding equitable grading. Despite the end of the previous academic need, students’ needs still persist. Occupy Pomona will continue our work into this next school year and be an unwavering pillar of non-institutional support for students.