POMONA HAS ITS own ever-evolving set of unique words that only have meaning on the Pomona campus. Here are a few special words and phrases that are vital to understanding life at Pomona today.
Spo-gro — Short for “sponsor group,” this is a word students are likely to hear frequently during their first year at Pomona, and possibly for the rest of their lives. Designed to help students make a smooth transition to college, the Sponsor Program clusters first-year students into sponsor groups of about 15 students who live together in a residence hall, along with older students who help them settle into the Pomona community.
OA — OA stands for Orientation Adventure, the three-day trip that all first-years go on before they start class. There are various derivations of this word, such as “OA-by,” which is what you may be introduced as if you encounter your OA leader at a party.
Table Manners, Pub, Bloc, Tap — At Pomona, the term “Table Manners” doesn’t refer to a set of polite social behaviors every student should learn. For today’s Sagehens, it’s the name of a party thrown in Doms Lounge of the Smith Campus Center every Tuesday night. Other parties that take place on campus weekly have equally cryptic names, such as Pub, Bloc and Tap.
