Oxtoby: Pomona Alma Mater has Cooties; Torchbearers to be Revised

Music Critic

David Oxtoby has rung the death knell for the Pomona College Alma Mater, Hail Pomona, Hail! in this delicately-reasoned letter to the community. In his letter, Oxtoby tries gamely to have it both ways, but in the end, unfastens the song from its mooring to the college.

The Final Report of the somewhat Orwellian College Songs Committee appears here. Our interest was piqued by a sentence on page four, for which the committee appears to provide no reference to the "critical essay on the Choate Report by another alumnus". We see the Choate Report, but not the critical essay. This was apparently dispositive for the committee (see the second paragraph of the page below; click to enlarge). What are we missing?

As to Torchbearers, that old "glorification of manifest destiny", well, the College is going to sanitize it of the offensive words and even-more offensive "musical gestures", and only then let the choral groups sing it. If they want.

For the "Cootie" reference, see here.
For everything the committee posted, see here.