Dear Pomona,
ASPC Senate stands in solidarity with immunocompromised students in our community. This message is intended to address concerns about the transmission of COVID-19 in classroom settings and concerns that students have voiced regarding remote learning access. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to president@aspc.pomona.edu or vpacademic@aspc.pomona.edu.
ASPC Senate believes students who test positive for COVID-19 must have access to reasonable alternatives to in-person instruction during their time in isolation. The form this takes remains at the discretion of each professor. Reasonable alternatives may include a livestream, one-on-one virtual meetings between the student and professor to discuss class content, or another method that best meets the needs of the student and capacity of the professor.
ASPC Senate additionally believes immunocompromised students at risk for severe illness due to COVID-19 should not have to fall behind in their learning as a result of concerns about their health. It is the position of the college that faculty members have full discretion to offer hybrid learning options for students in this situation. ASPC Senate is willing to support immunocompromised students who wish to request reasonable alternatives to in-person instruction on a class-by-class basis. For any student interested, members of the ASPC Executive Council (see the end of this letter) are more than willing to work with the student and their professors to arrive at solutions that best meet the needs of both parties, whether that entails helping faculty members install the technologies necessary to make hybrid instruction possible, finding creative solutions such as 1:1 office hours or other methods of individualized instruction, or reaching some alternate arrangement.
We urge faculty to exercise a certain empathy and flexibility given the circumstances of the ongoing pandemic. A little goes a long way when it comes to making learning more accessible for all. Empathy also goes both ways, which makes collaborating to reach solutions within professors’ bandwidth so critical. ASPC Senate welcomes faculty members to reach out to better understand any concerns they may be hearing from their students and to collaborate on next steps.
At Pomona, contact tracing has revealed zero cases of classroom transmission since we returned to in-person classes in September 2021. While this news offers much-needed peace of mind about COVID-19 transmission in the classroom, please keep in mind that this has been made possible only by students’ and faculty members’ continued commitment to classroom masking policies. We implore that everyone in the Pomona community continue to show care for one another by adhering to COVID-19 safety protocols and remaining masked at all times while in the classroom.
Navigating this pandemic in any capacity—as a student, professor, or staff member—is extremely difficult. It is by working together that we can create a culture of care to sustain our community.
Best,
Nirali Devgan, ASPC President (Executive Council)
Patrick Liu, Vice President of Academic Affairs (Executive Council)
Gerardo Rodriguez, Vice President of Student Affairs (Executive Council)
Adeena Liang, Vice President of Finance (Executive Council)
Vaish Siddapureddy, Commissioner of Athletics
Timi Adelakun, Commissioner of Campus Events
Khadi Diallo, Commissioner of Equity and Inclusion
Linda Phan, Commissioner of Facilities and Environment
Lyla Stettenheim, Commissioner of Wellness
Timothy Liu, North Campus Representative
Ava Messick, South Campus Representative
Andreah Pierre, Senior Class President
Deanna Han, Junior Class President
Andrew Xu, Sophomore Class President
Devlin Orlin, First Year Class President
Vera Berger, Board of Trustees Representative for Education Quality Committee
Ka'amed Dieye, Board of Trustees Representative for Finance Committee
Ryan Collins, Board of Trustees Representative for Student Affairs Committee
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