Waking up on Nov. 6, 2024 brought a familiar sense of fear upon many students at Mount Holyoke. For me, it reminded me of how my brother and I slept on the floor of my parents room on Nov. 8, 2016, and woke up the next morning to our mom telling us Trump won. I remember the cries of the unknown we let out that morning, of confusion. We were sad, but why? At the ripe ages of 10 and 11, all we were aware of was that President Donald Trump hated us. Little did we know, those who silently mourned alongside us, invisible to our juvenile consciousness, would become his supporters in 2024; those who forgot the previous fear instilled in our daily lives all for “cheaper gas.”

Locating and attempting to recreate a “home away from home” is not a small feat for a person of color at a predominantly white institution such as Mount Holyoke College. This reality is one that many students of color must learn to overcome day by day, as the effort of bringing little pieces of home on their transcontinental and cross-country journeys to Mount Holyoke is essential to one’s identity and sense of belonging. Despite Mount Holyoke’s pride in its diverse campus, a majority of inclusion and community fostering efforts are student-led. This allows the College to effortlessly benefit off of the hard work and determination of students’ ongoing fight for inclusivity instead of reallocating funds and resources to create safe places on campus that are rich with culture and familiarity. 

The influence of social media and internet fads on political campaigns has become incredibly concerning. As politicians and campaign leaders focus more on algorithms, trendy audios and clickbait, they support a pandemic of misinformation and naivety. Despite its convenience and instantaneous ability to mobilize users toward advocacy and political participation, the use of social media in politics shifts its overall focus from diplomacy to performance, a change that negatively impacts our nation overall.

The Electoral College, the system used in the United States to elect the president, is one of the most confusing and convoluted parts of the American democratic system. As a democratic republic, the U.S. polity touts the power American citizens have to elect their own representatives and political officials. Yet, for some reason, this is not the case for the highest office in the entire country: the presidency. Although the Electoral College, in theory, is representative of the U.S. population’s choice for president, in actuality it perpetuates oppression and inequality, especially considering the racist and classist history of the system. In taking a closer look at the Electoral College’s history and inner workings, not only is it apparent that the system is not representative of the democratic standard the U.S. loves to brag about, but is inherently flawed in the way it represents the will of the people.