College Students’ Protest Moves to Sister Campus

Student protesters from the Claremont Colleges abandoned their occupation of a Pitzer College building over the weekend, where they had padlocked the president out of her own office, and moved to Pomona College early Monday morning, where they blocked off the administration building.

With U-locks securing their necks to the doors, the students are demanding better working conditions for the institution’s cafeteria workers, part of a two-year struggle between students and the college administration and its food contractor, Aramark Corp.

The president of Pitzer College, Marilyn Chapin Massey, signed a statement last week agreeing to support the students and the workers’ right to organize. The students then left the Broad Center sometime late Friday night or Saturday morning.

But the deal fell apart over the weekend after an Aramark catering truck was vandalized and two carts were destroyed, college officials said. The protesters, called the Workers Support Committee, said they had nothing to do with the incident.

Meanwhile, Pomona College offices were closed Monday, as students blocked Alexander Hall. Officials said they will be disciplined for “obstructive” protesting if they continue. “At some point, they’ll be asked to leave and the student code will be invoked,” said Mark Wood, a college spokesman.