Pomona Student Life Presents Only One Viewpoint

I've come to a sad realization: Pomona's The Student Life never really interviews anyone with a Republican viewpoint. Why they insist on marginalizing those voices is a bit above my pay grade, but I think it might have to do with the lack of political diversity and diversity of thought on Pomona's campus. Witness how desperately President Oxtoby tries to make the case for free speech and free inquiry at Pomona College.

Fortunately, Claremont McKenna does not have to make that case-- yet.

In any event, this past issue highlights that glaring political diversity. For starters, they write an article, "Gonzales Will Not Speak, Says Committee," about how the students won't attend the lecture without providing any real critical analysis. Why didn't they run a poll to see student interest?

Then, in this same article, they tried to tie the decision to the immigration debate and how it would have offended students because, like presumably Gonzales would have. How shallow.

I attended the debate. Alberto Gonzales's positions on immigration -- he supports the president's plan -- are anathema to everything modern conservatives believe. He supports the status quo, which is effectively open borders. Gonzales is more like Hornberger, the libertarian, than Steward, the illegal immigration activist. The connection, though, is that he will offend students. How does The Student Life know that in advance in the absence of any statistical evidence?

They follow it up by asking Pomona Assistant Professor of Politics Heather Williams -- someone they know will not support Gonzales -- for comment. She gives writer Trevor Hunnicutt the red meat he wants.

The penultimate paragraph is basically Williams ranting about this issue. Here's the quotation.

"...Call me old fashioned, but I think there’s something really gross about a celebrity lecture circuit that rewards people for misconduct, scandal, and even felony crimes.”

Okay, Assistant Professor Williams, I will call you old-fashioned. After all, the net effect of your position is supporting y the Kafka-esque, kangaroo courts that find people guilty before any charges are even filed. Gonzales, you know, has never been charged, never been indicted, never been offered a plea deal. How then can you call him one who commits "felony crimes"?
As you write for Counterpunch.com, a progressive magazine, I'm left wondering how progressive it is to try someone without any trial at all. I wonder how you feel about Bill Clinton, a convicted liar who was disbarred from coming to Claremont McKenna, but of course, you were slight on that because you are a partisan.

On the question of misconduct and scandal, the reason there's a scandal is that it is a contrived Democrat political football. Just as it takes two to tango, so too does it take two to be scandalized.

Pomona College Encourages Law-Breaking

The Student Life's latest ridiculousness -- and there were a lot this past issue -- is a statement that the College is doing all it can to "ensure a Pomona education remains accessible to undocumented citizens." (emphasis mine)

First off, what the hell is an "undocumented citizen"? What the TSL really means is an illegal immigrant, that is someone who is unlawfully in the United States.

Throughout the article, which leads with the wrong headline of "Immigration Status Does Not Affect Financial Aid"-- it does affect financial aid, just not of the illegal students, but of legal students at Pomona, Travis Kaya gets the top members of Pomona on record for supporting a violation of American laws.

Here's the Pomona Financial Aid Director Patricia Coye:

“We’ve had a couple of students that did fall into this category [illegal immigrants]. We’ve funded them with college aid.”

Better yet, David Oxtoby, President of Pomona, defends the policy: "We have had an informal policy, though not an official one, of offering financial aid to outstanding students who are undocumented immigrants. This is consistent with our goal of being open to excellent students of all backgrounds, and helping them to complete a Pomona education though [sic] generous financial aid support."

This statement is glaring for several reasons. For starters, the policy is unofficial (read: not on paper and not open to the public) so it can't be made accountable.

But what's far worse is that it just plain not true. As Pomona's The Student Life's columnist, Kelvin Lee pointed out in a September 28, 2007 article, the school remains need-conscious for international students.

Well, that is, unless you happen to break the law, come across the border illegally and apply to Pomona. That's okay and you will get financial aid, too!

This policy incentives all the international students out there to come to America illegally and apply as a student. This is deeply unfair to the many international students who have to pay full freight and who obey the law. Who knows, Pomona may pay the full freight for the illegals, but not for those who legally go through all the red tape to study here.

Indeed, there's an incentive for Pomona to provide full scholarships for illegal immigrants. As illegal immigrants are not eligible for federal money in the form of loans, this cost is directly covered by the Pomona students.

If Pomona allocates only a certain percentage of its endowment for grants, which it most assuredly does, then all the rest of the cost is paid either out of pocket or through loans. These loans end up hurting the middle class American students. Pomona financial aid officers will have an incentive to give the Pomona grant money to illegals because they cannot get federal funding. The legal, American students end up getting stuck with loans to pay for college.

Pomona's inscription on the north gate says "Let only the eager, thoughtful, and reverent enter here." This policy has the net effect of saying "Let only the illegal enter here without paying. Everybody else has to pay-- and pay more."