In an email to students sent today, Pomona College Dean of Students Avis Hinkson announced the details of Pomona’s three step sanctioning process for students who miss their weekly Covid-19 tests. Later on the same day, Scripps College’s Interim Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students Adriana di Bartolo-Beckman announced Scripps’ disciplinary policies surrounding testing. Both institutions agreed that students who miss a certain number of tests will be suspended for the remainder of the semester.
Pomona’s Covid Prevention and Response Team (CPR) met and voted in approval of the sanctioning process, which outlines the actions taken against students who do not comply with the weekly testing required by the college. Students who miss one test “will be reminded via email by the Dean of Student’s Office to maintain their testing schedule.” Students who miss two tests, consecutive or not, “will be given an official warning and be required to meet with their class dean to discuss the importance of getting tested, determine if there are barriers the student is facing that explain multiple missed tests, and ensure that they are aware of the consequences of missing a third test.” A student who misses three weekly tests “will be suspended for the semester.” Dean Hinkson noted that “suspension is a serious consequence” and “[a] student who misses three tests is a health risk to themselves and to the community and should not be on campus.”
Currently, all Pomona students are required to take a Covid-19 test weekly: “[v]accinated students test once a week, students who are not fully vaccinated are required to test twice a week and orchestra wind players are required to test three times a week.”
Scripps’ disciplinary policy differed from Pomona’s in a few areas. According to the email, “[s]tudents who do not participate in weekly screening testing will be subject to the following administrative conduct process: 1. Written warning. 2. Written warning and meeting with a dean or their designee. 3. Official charge letter for failure to comply with the College’s screening testing policy. 4. Interim probation: Students have 48 hours to get a COVID-19 test or they will be put on probation. 5. Suspension.”
In addition, Scripps students “who have tested positive for COVID-19 do not need to participate in screening testing for 90 days after recovering from symptoms.”
Pomona and Scripps, alongside the other Claremont Colleges, mandated students to receive the Covid-19 vaccination for the Fall 2021 return to campus and requires students to partake in weekly Covid-19 testing as well as wear masks indoors. Claremont McKenna College also is taking action against students who evade weekly testing, including issuing conduct violations to students who do not participate in the mandatory testing.