Pro-Hamas scholar Mohamed Abdou addressed Claremont Colleges students virtually on Wednesday, Oct. 7, as part of his “Death to the Akademy Tour.” The talk was hosted by the People’s Fund, an organization also operated by Claremont Colleges students, which met at an unknown location to project the event live.

On October 7, the People’s Fund—an organization funded and operated by Claremont Colleges students—plans to host Mohamed Abdou, a self-described “Muslim anarchist” and Hamas proponent as part of his “Death to the Akademy” tour.

President William C. Dudley is Claremont McKenna College’s sixth president, assuming the position after serving as president of Washington & Lee University for nearly a decade. He was preceded by Hiram Chodosh, who helmed Claremont McKenna for 13 years.

Pomona College has parted ways with Dining Services General Manager Jose Martinez after a series of controversial decisions and years of staffing woes. A spokesperson for the college confirmed to the Independent that Martinez “is no longer employed by Pomona College.”

The University of Chicago surpassed Claremont McKenna College in the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression’s 2027 Free Speech Rankings released Wednesday. Claremont McKenna slid to second place after topping the 2026 report, while Pomona ranked 226 out of 261 schools.

A year after Charlie Kirk was murdered in front of thousands of onlookers at a debate event at Utah Valley University, the assassination continues to divide the Claremont Colleges. The anniversary of the murder prompted celebrations on campus and online, which drew national attention on X. Students the Independent interviewed expressed concern that the normalization of political violence chilled free expression on campus.

Pomona College was back in the national spotlight this summer after reporting in the New York Post and Daily Mail surfaced a lawsuit filed against the College by a former employee, Melody DiDonato, in 2025. The suit alleges that Pomona discriminated against her on the basis of her disability and Jewish faith and subjected her to a hostile work environment. An amended complaint was filed in May 2026.

A final nighttime gathering of freshly graduated Pomona College seniors was met with swift response from Pomona staff, Campus Safety, and eventually the Claremont Police Department over graduation weekend, leaving many departing seniors with a bitter feeling as their alma mater got in the way of their last night together.

Claremont McKenna College's fifth president, Hiram Chodosh. (Photo Credit: Jasper Langley-Hawthorne) President Hiram Chodosh is Claremont McKenna College’s fifth president, assuming the position after serving as Dean of the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law. After thirteen years in the role, President Chodosh will be succeeded by former Washington & Lee president William C. Dudley. President Chodosh’s wife, Priya Junnar, will also depart as Director of the Athe

Last week, Black Lives at Mudd (BLAM) emailed a resolution to the Harvey Mudd (HMC) community “demand[ing] that the institution be held responsible for the harm caused to the Black student body of Harvey Mudd College.”

Claremont Colleges students lost access to Canvas, a learning management software used by roughly half of American colleges and universities, for several hours during a nationwide cyberattack targeting the website’s parent company just a few days before finals week.

Eight candidates took to a crowded stage at Pomona College’s Bridges Auditorium Tuesday night, discussing California’s affordability crisis and trading jabs over the gas tax, public healthcare, and blame for the Golden State’s woes. The event was an unusual step into the limelight for the small college, and comes amidst a wave of major projects and initiatives.

Pomona College’s student government, the Associated Students of Pomona College (ASPC) Senate, is facing a sudden $12,000 demand from the student software developers behind its ridesharing service. The graduating developers are asking ASPC to buy the software, after originally agreeing to develop and maintain it for $700 a year before passing it on to younger students. The matter has created confusion within ASPC and between the outgoing and incoming Senate leaderships, as con

Former United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will deliver the commencement address at Claremont McKenna College’s graduation ceremony on May 16, alongside his wife, Akshata Murty (CMC ‘02). The announcement came in an email from President Hiram Chodosh Thursday morning.

Pomona College’s Black Student Union (BSU) held a town hall attended by hundreds of students last Wednesday night, alleging that black students had been “subjected to hateful experiences on this campus, experiences that range from microaggressions to explicit hate speech to moments that feel like racial violence” and “persecuted in and out of the classroom for simply existing.”

Pomona College will host primary candidates for the California governorship in a debate on April 28, College President Gabi Starr announced earlier this month.

A recall campaign against the Harvey Mudd College’s student body President-elect has succeeded, with a simple majority of voters choosing to recall the President-elect and hold new elections. The recall was prompted by controversial remarks the President-elect made over a year ago, with the recall petition itself being filed by her opponent after he lost the election.

The newly elected president of Harvey Mudd College’s student government (ASHMC) is facing recall over a comment she made during the Spring 2025 election season. Though the president-elect issued multiple apologies, the incumbent student government leadership has withheld constitutionally required onboarding training and worked with Mudd’s Dean of Students to organize a public March 10 forum where the president-elect and her accusers, including the candidates she defeated, rea

A video showing a man dressed up as a woman to compete in the Women’s 100-Meter Dash at a Pomona-Pitzer track meet went viral on Monday, garnering millions of views across social media platforms. Jonny Curren competed under the name “sara curren” [sic], outpacing 31 female runners to win first place by 0.02 seconds.

In 2025, Pomona and Claremont McKenna Colleges spent $190,000 and $100,000, respectively, to lobby the federal government. Pomona hired lobbying firm theGROUP DC while CMC hired law firm Holland & Knight. According to OpenSecrets, neither college, since 1998, has recorded lobbying activity until this past year. Harvey Mudd, Scripps, and Pitzer Colleges have yet to record any lobbying activity.