Students recount their experiences during the Myanmar Coup

Students recount their experiences during the Myanmar Coup

Last year, the Myanmar military, officially known as the Tatmadaw, orchestrated a coup that removed Aung San Suu Kyi, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, from power after her political party, the National League for Democracy, won the election by a landslide. Because the title Myanmar was appointed by the military to replace the Burmese title of Burma, this article will refer to the country by the latter. This month marks the anniversary of the declaration of a state of emergency made by the military on Feb. 1, 2021. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing remains in power, and many people in Burma are still protesting.

Students reflect on study abroad experience during the pandemic

Students reflect on study abroad experience during the pandemic

As the COVID-19 pandemic stretches into another year, perpetual changes to the norm have become a regular part of life. Students looking to participate in a study-abroad program for the Spring 2022 semester had to be willing to adapt to an evolving COVID-19 situation in addition to adjusting to studying in another country. Some destinations and programs have not yet reopened and others are operating with restrictions.

Language Resource Center renamed ‘Language & Culture Commons’ to better represent its role on campus

Language Resource Center renamed ‘Language & Culture Commons’ to better represent its role on campus

At the start of spring semester, the College announced that the campus resource once known as the Language Resource Center, located in Ciruti, would be renamed as the Language and Culture Commons via an ‘MHC This Week’ email. Though this name change has been in motion for years, its recent retitling signals the Commons’ commitment to cultural and linguistic education.

COVID-19 travel bans target African countries

COVID-19 travel bans target African countries

Two months ago, South African researchers discovered the new COVID-19 variant now named Omicron. While their prompt report garnered accolades from the World Health Organization, many countries in the West, such as the U.K., U.S. and Canada, readily enacted travel bans against South Africa and other African nations. The justification behind the travel bans was to reduce the spread of the Omicron variant. However, according to the WHO, “Implementing blanket travel bans, which are not effective in suppressing international spread, as clearly demonstrated by the Omicron experience, … may discourage transparent and rapid reporting of emerging [variants of concern].”

Russia threatens Ukraine with increased military presence at border

Russia threatens Ukraine with increased military presence at border

In December 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin increased the presence of Russian troops on the Russia-Ukraine border. The New York Times reported that this maneuver was accompanied by demands that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization should violate its standing open-door policy, which permits any country to apply for membership, and bar Ukraine from ever applying for membership. In the same article, the Times reported that Putin also “wanted NATO allies to pull all troops and nuclear weapons from former Soviet republics and nations that once belonged to the Warsaw Pact.”

BTS wins three awards at 2021 American Music Awards

BTS wins three awards at 2021 American Music Awards

Korean boy band BTS took home three awards at the American Music Awards, held at Los Angeles’s Microsoft Theater, on Nov. 21, 2021. The group won the coveted title of “Artist of the Year,” making them the first Asian artists in history to do so.

14 year old dies during childbirth; UN condemns child marriages in Zimbabwe

“What you see today, a young girl forced to marry, get pregnant and [die], is not an aberration. It is part of the same continuum. Female persons are not seen as fully human, with individual rights, choice, rights to control our own bodies,” Zimbabwean feminist activist and the international head of Action Aid International, Everjoice Win, declared on Twitter on Aug. 6 in response to the widespread practice of child marriages in Zimbabwe.

International students respond to new winter housing policy

Although domestic travel in the United States is getting safer and easier as vaccination rates increase and more airlines reopen, international travel is still widely restricted by vaccination, visa, testing and quarantine policies.

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