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Students and staff out of sync on AccessAbility Services, misconceptions lead to campus tension

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BY MADELINE FITZGERALD ’21

There is a predictable rhythm to starting college. Scan department store lists of dorm room essentials. Check Rate My Professor. Check the Facebook group. Check everything, then load the car and leave home.  For Caroline Castonguay ’20, however, there was one more necessary task to complete. Castonguay, who has cystic fibrosis, a chronic and debilitating illness, needed to meet with AccessAbility services, the office that provides students with disability accommodations. 

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A strip freeze

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A strip freeze

BY MIA PENNEKAMP ’20 

I suck at being still. I’m the girl who bounces her leg up and down — shaking the table. I’m familiar with the feeling of hands landing on my thigh, and mouths telling me to please “be still.” I tap my pen, play with my hair, adjust my shirt. Chapstick and lotion, apply and reapply. I’m the girl who does calf stretches in the subway station. I rise up on my toes, relevé, plié, tendu. Dancing on my own. I suck at being still, and have for most of my life. I likely lack the discipline. What I do know: I’m intently, intensely curious. Anxious sometimes, always searching and scanning. Perhaps it was this curiosity, or perhaps my expensive and insatiable Sephora habit, that led me to a Mount Holyoke figure drawing class.

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Faculty Show reflects the changing senses of humor

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Faculty Show reflects the changing senses of humor

BY SHEBATI SENGUPTA ’19

The first faculty show was held over 100 years ago. In earlier years, it was used as a fundraising tool for the College, to benefit anything from the health center to a scholarship fund and the tradition has continued almost uninterrupted every four years since. It operates on a volunteer basis, with a group of interested staff and faculty coming up with ideas, writing scripts and participating in skits. The writing, planning and the faculty band are prepared in advance. The comprehensive rehearsals, however, start the Monday before the show. This year some of the cast, such as psychology professor KC Haydon, participated for the first time. The longest continuous volunteer, Dawn Larder, coordinator for the economics department, has been part of faculty show since 1976. Regardless of experience and commitment level, all the faculty interviewed reiterated that the show is, first and foremost, supposed to be fun.

So what’s the deal with the housing lottery?

So what’s the deal with the housing lottery?

BY FALGUNI BASNET ’21

It’s that time of the year when rising sophomores, juniors and seniors at Mount Holyoke participate in the housing lottery. The process can be stressful, and students often worry about who they are going to end up sharing a room with and whether they will get into their desired residence halls or living learning communities (LLCs). 

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Senior gift campaign aims for “donors, not dollars”

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Senior gift campaign aims for “donors, not dollars”

BY SHEBATI SENGUPTA ’19

There is currently a campaign running which, on the surface, seems counterintuitive. The senior gift campaign asks graduating Mount Holyoke students, who as of yet are still college students and not yet earning significant amounts of money, to make a donation to the College. According to Rebecca Hughes ’18, one of two head class agents for the senior gift campaign, the gift “is not a physical gift…it is a sum of money that the senior class fundraises in their senior year which is given to the Mount Holyoke fund.” This fund consists of money “which gets spent on campus the next year,” said Hughes. “You can think of the endowment as the College’s savings account, and the Mount Holyoke fund as our checking account.” The senior gift campaign is only a small part of what goes into the fund, but it can be integral.

The Nice Shoes drops “feminist” label from group title

BY FALGUNI BASNET ’21

The Nice Shoes, one of Mount Holyoke’s a cappella groups, was founded in 1992 by women who wanted to have an intentionally feminist a cappella group. “Their goal, at that time, was to perform music that was by women and for women, which they felt was lacking on campus,” said Leanna Bonafini ’19, who has been a member of the Nice Shoes for four semesters.

Halal station incorporates community feedback

Halal station incorporates community feedback

BY SHEBATI SENGUPTA ’19

With the opening of the new Dining Commons in January, the College set out to build community through food. Reflecting the diversity of Mount Holyoke’s students, the Commons features new stations such as the Global station, the Wok station, the L’Chaim (Kosher) station and the Baraka (Halal) station. The latter is undergoing changes as the College works with students to create a more inclusive dining experience.

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Mental health conversations captured in the news

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Mental health conversations captured in the news

BY EMILY BERNSTEIN ’18

“1,800 women is a hell of a lot of problems,” said Professor Suarez-Galban, in a Choragos-sponsored discussion group among faculty and students in November 1969. The discussion, which began as a dialogue on campus drug use, ultimately turned to the availability of counseling services at Mount Holyoke, or the lack thereof.

Sofia Rivera ’18 makes strides in Puerto Rico and Holyoke

Sofia Rivera ’18 makes strides in Puerto Rico and Holyoke

BY SABA FIAZUDDIN ’21 

When Sofia Rivera ’18 first arrived at Mount Holyoke College in the fall of 2014, she was thousands of miles away from her vibrant community in Puerto Rico and, like most students, felt anxious about being in a place so culturally different. Her anxiety soon subsided as she realized that Puerto Ricans make up almost 50 percent of the population in Holyoke. She instantly felt an affinity for her new home and soon became involved in movements to solve the political issues which affected her community.

Students and staff weigh in on new Dining Commons

Students and staff weigh in on new Dining Commons

BY FALGUNI BASNET ’21 

As the daily lunch rush begins, a crowd of people come flooding in to Mount Holyoke’s newest addition — the Dining Commons, popularly known as SuperBlanch. This is a chaotic hour for students, especially during the weekdays, as they hurry to find good seats,  line up for food and then return to classes. There are piles of utensils on the dishroom conveyor as student workers and staff members rush around to keep things in order.

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Laura and Caroline: An Aquarius meets a Gemini

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Laura and Caroline: An Aquarius meets a Gemini

BY ELEANOR HARRIS ’20

At MoRomance, we’re strong supporters of the November rule, so it wasn’t easy for us to make a tiny exception for first-year Caroline* and sophomore Laura.* They seemed perfect for each other — and, in all fairness, it was Oct. 24. 

Leslie Crossen lights up the Rockies

Leslie Crossen lights up the Rockies

BY SABA FIAZUDDIN ’21

If you happen to stop by Rockefeller dining hall for lunch any day during the week you will likely run into Leslie Crossen, a checker who has been working in the dining hall since 2016. Unbeknownst to Leslie, her uncle John Herr also worked as a checker at Rockies in the exact same spot for 15 years before he retired two years ago. Leslie remembers the shock when, during her interview with Dining Services, the interviewer told her that she would be taking John Herr’s spot. “I knew he worked at a women’s college but I always assumed it was Elms College in Chicopee,” said Crossen. “My cheeks turned red when I realized I would be filling my uncle’s shoes; I couldn’t believe it. I always remembered him telling me that I should work [where he did] because it’s such a great place but I never knew he was talking about Mount Holyoke.”

Battle of the Majors: Comparing workloads across depts.

Battle of the Majors: Comparing workloads across depts.

BY CAITLIN LYNCH ’20 AND HELEN ELDRED ’20

“Most majors will tell you that you only end up in this major if you really, truly love it,” said theater major Miranda Wheeler ’19. Although all majors require students to be dedicated, the application of their commitment varies across departments. A significant factor influencing each student’s Mount Holyoke experience is the type of work their major demands.

The evolving tradition of gracious dinners

The evolving tradition of gracious dinners

BY SABA FIAZUDDIN ’21 

The gracious dinner tradition has been a key component of Mount Holyoke life for decades. In the 1950s students would dress up for a special meal, known as “gracious living” dinners, which were served in dorms and often followed by tea or coffee in the common room. Through the years, the tradition has evolved — for example, students are no longer required to come wearing stockings and heels — and the launch of centralized dining in the spring will kick-start a new phase. 

Students celebrate Halloween at Spooky Skate

Students celebrate Halloween at Spooky Skate

BY SABA FIAZUDDIN ’21 

On Saturday, Halloween spirit reached its peak as Mount Holyoke students dressed up in costumes and made their way to Spooky Skate in Chapin Auditorium. From 8 to 10 p.m. Chapin was converted into a roller rink with games, a photo booth, pizzas and numerous other activities. Students clad in elaborate costumes started queuing up outside Chapin at least 30 minutes before to seize their chance at the roller rink.

Housekeeping language rumor clarified

BY SABA FIAZUDDIN ’21  AND FALGUNI BASNET ’21 

Mount Holyoke’s Building on our Momentum (BOOM) conference that was held on March 26 and 27 featured a number of sessions reflecting on Mount Holyoke’s efforts to be diverse, equitable and inclusive. One of the workshops led by Acting President Sonya Stephens was titled “Mount Holyoke in the 21st Century,” and featured group discussions addressing community concerns.

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