Convocation delayed due to anticipated heavy rain

Photo by Ali Meizels ’23.
This year’s seniors — the Yellow Sphinxes — celebrate their class pride at the 2021 Convocation.

By Michelle Brumley ’24

Staff Writer

One of Mount Holyoke’s most iconic traditions, Convocation, has seen both rain and shine since its formal kickoff in 1931. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020’s Convocation was entirely virtual. After a triumphant return in 2021, 2022’s Convocation has been rescheduled due to anticipated heavy rain on the original date of Sept. 6. As stated in an email to the community from the Office of the President, the new date for Convocation is Sunday, Sept. 18 — scheduled in part to accommodate student athletes, who frequently have games or meets on Saturdays. Some athletes, however, are scheduled to have their first game of the season this Sunday. This presents a scheduling challenge, according to rugby player Ava Healy ’24. Despite these setbacks, this year’s Convocation will take place on a day forecasted to be sunny and breezy, bringing together new and returning students alike.

New Zowie Banteah Cultural Center opens in new space

Photos by Gillian Petrarca ’23.
Left: Zowie Banteah ’96 and family traveled to the opening of the new Zowie Banteah Cultural Center. Right: Latrina Denson delivers opening remarks and background on the Zowie Banteah Cultural Center.

By Gillian Petrarca ’23

Staff Writer 

Content warning: This article mentions anti-Indigenous violence and addiction.

After months of preparation, the Zowie Banteah Cultural Center officially opened in its new space between Ham and MacGregor Halls on Sept. 12 at 6:30 p.m. The event was attended by the center’s namesake — Zowie Banteah ’96 — and her family, as well as students, staff and faculty. 

Before entering the new space, attendees gathered outside of Ham Hall by Upper Lake to perform a blessing. Guests gathered around in a circle and were handed tobacco leaves to hold in their left hand, which were smudged with smoke. Larry Spotted Crow Mann of the Nipmuc Tribe performed the blessing. 

Before giving the blessing, Spotted Crow Mann shared that he began his storytelling and educational work after battling alcoholism. Spotted Crow Mann attributed the start of his recovery to watching a documentary about how Christopher Columbus brought alcohol and drugs to the Indigenous people. “Every generation suffered surfing our land and the deeds, and on and on it goes. All the health experiences that we suffer today [are] from that poison,” Spotted Crow Mann said. “I spent my entire life … [sharing with] young native people that [they] don’t have to drink or take drugs to have a good life. … I spread that message to all people to see the rapidness that it caused in our communities.” 

Spotted Crow Mann said that he takes a holistic approach to dealing with the trauma that Indigenous people may face. “I am so excited about what the youth are doing, what the elders are sharing and how we have access like never before,” Spotted Crow Mann said. “[My tribe] has more land now than we [have] had the last 300 years. When my great grandfather had his land, they took his land. … I am grateful to be here on this land of my people, to touch it and talk to all of you in a place that they weren’t even allowed to come on …” 

Spotted Crow Mann then gave a prayer in the Nipmuc language to bless the space. 

“I ask that we all celebrate by doing the work that needs to happen in these spaces that are Indigenous. It takes Indigenous people to show you. … I say that because we have the knowledge of this land. … We’re here to guide those allies and accomplish them and help them. So with that, I pray for this space to be a place of learning, sharing, teaching and coming together [for] social justice and collaboration. ,” Spotted Crow Mann prayed. 

Spotted Crow Mann thanked Zowie Banteah and her family personally. Banteah then led everyone into the space for the first time. 

After being led into the Center, Associate Dean of Students for Community and Belonging Latrina Denson gave opening remarks. Denson remarked that the opening was a moment the community had anticipated and worked toward. Denson acknowledged the ceremony as an opportunity to honor Banteah, faculty, staff, students and members of the community of Native and Indigenous origin. Denson then invited attendees to sign a green book to be placed in the College archives to remember the attendees of the opening. 

Denson specially thanked Juliette Gagnon Strong Heart ’24 for her work in helping create the new cultural center, commending Strong Heart for making strides in cultivating an open campus culture and inviting students to express themselves freely.

Denson went on to give a background of the Zowie Banteah space, which was opened in 1995 under its original name, Native Spirit. The Center was renamed in 1997 after alumna Zowie Banteah, who was instrumental in its founding. Denson then introduced Kijua Sanders-McMurtry, vice president for equity and inclusion. 

In their speech, Sanders-McMurtry spoke directly to the contributions that Banteah has made to the space and to the broader campus community. Specifically, Sanders-McCurty acknowledged the work that has been done since Banteah’s time as a student on campus. Before taking a moment to thank the individuals that cleaned the space, cooked the food and shopped for the decorations, Sanders-McMurtry thanked Banteah’s family for traveling to the event from New Mexico. 

Sanders-McMurtry closed the night by urging audience members not to simply identify themselves as “anti-racists,” but to address past wrongs and to work towards a more equitable future. On a hopeful note, the vice president for equity and inclusion addressed the audience as being collectively joined on a path towards anti-racism.

“I’m really excited about what can happen with all of you here today by doing that intentional work,” Crow Mann remarked.

Guests then enjoyed Indigenous food from Sly Fox Den Restaurant & Bar. After eating, guests viewed a song and dance by pow wow drum group Urban Thunder.

Senate holds Town Hall with Residential Life, discusses accessibility

Photo by Artemis Chen ‘25. At Senate, students asked Residential Life representatives about selecting and switching rooms.

Gillian Petrarca ’23

Staff Writer

After a land acknowledgment from the Chair of Senate Shula Mathew ’22, the April 26 senate meeting began. The meeting agenda included a Town Hall with Residential Life, E-Board updates and a presentation from the all-campus elections committee.

E-Board updates included Chair of Halls EJ Jankovic ’23 sharing the results from last week’s in-senate elections. Next year’s chair of senate will be EJ Jankovic ’23, Chair of halls will be Serynn Nowlin ’25 and chair of special interests will be Oumoulakyre Mounkaila ’24. Vice President of SGA Ananya Singh ’22 announced that the student activities fee will increase by $25 next year to pay for free menstrual products in the restrooms on campus and allow the E-Board to be paid.

Director of Community Standards & Housing Operations Rachel Alldis and Associate Director of Residential Life Nashalie Vasquez joined senate for a Town Hall meeting. Senators submitted questions last week with their commissions. Question topics ranged from housing selection times to room changes to accessibility in the dorms. 

When asked if students can be provided with basic cleaning supplies for their residence halls, such as vacuum cleaners and dustpans, Alldis replied that she knows facilities provide trash bags for students. Alldis stated that in the past, the school provided each dorm with a vacuum cleaner; however, vacuum cleaners were often either broken or stolen. Still, she expressed that she is happy to put in that request to facilities. Next, the two were asked if ResLife and the registrar could coordinate next year so that the housing lottery and class registration are not in the same week. Alldis responded that it is hard to do both of these things before spring break because many students do not begin thinking about their living situation until after this time. However, she will talk to the registrar moving forward. 

Vasquez was asked how ResLife uses the roommate preferences survey to match students with a roommate. Vasquez replied that for incoming students, she reads all of their applications and tries to match students that have similar habits. However, some students change their habits as they come to college. Vasquez reminded students that they can update their roommate profile each year when finding a new roommate. When asked what circumstances can warrant a room change, Vasquez explained that switching rooms should never be a student’s first response to a conflict with their roommate. The student should first talk to their RA or RF to try and mediate the conflict. Next, they should talk to their Area Coordinator. If going through these channels is unsuccessful, then the student can be moved. 

Lastly, Vasquez and Alldis were asked about accessibility in the dorms. A concern was raised about accommodations for students who live in buildings without elevators but become temporarily disabled during the school year. Vasquez responded that ResLife would work with Health Services on an individual basis to get the student temporary housing accommodations. In a follow-up question, a senator asked why there are no empty rooms on the first floor of every building in case this happens. Alldis replied that there are first-floor housing accommodations that prohibit non-accessible buildings from having empty rooms on the first floor. Vasquez and Alldis thanked everyone for inviting them to the senate meeting. 

The floor was then opened for a presentation by all-campus elections committee member Isabela Haskell ’23. Haskell stated that the all-campus SGA election did not reach a quorum. According to the SGA constitution, senate can approve the election or vote to allow the election to be open for one more week to reach a quorum. Senators had the opportunity to vote on this matter. 

Senate concluded with a statement of gratitude from the senate team and a cording ceremony for senior members, where senators sang the alma mater.

Mount Holyoke reinstates isolation in place policy

By Mariam Keita ’24

Managing Editor of Web

On Friday, April 22, the Division of Student Life announced in an email to students that the College will once again ask residential students who test positive for COVID-19 to shelter in place within their residence halls starting on April 25. 

The decision to reinstate the isolate in place policy comes from an upward trend in positive testing rates over the last few weeks. 

According to the email, this policy will affect those students who live alone or are currently rooming with a student who has tested positive for COVID-19 within the past 90 days. Students who reside within three hours of campus and have a private vehicle will be asked to isolate at home. 

Alex Moreno ’22 was one of the first student at Mount Holyoke who was asked to isolate in place in their residential hall upon testing positive for COVID-19 when they arrived back on campus for ResLife training during winter break prior to the start of the Spring 2022 semester. 

“I tested positive [for COVID-19] literally the day I got to campus,” Moreno said. “I had taken a PCR at home. Because of the delays … the PCR that was supposed to come back in 24 hours took four days.”

Moreno, who works as a residential fellow, was in a Zoom training session for ResLife when they got the alert that they had tested positive. Upon receiving the alert, they immediately sent a text message to their area coordinator in ResLife asking what their next steps should be. 

“[My area coordinator was] like, ‘I’ll get back to you. You should call a health center.’” Moreno said.

Upon calling Health Services, Moreno’s phone call was sent to a voicemail box which relayed the message that the center was closed for several days. The voicemail then directed Moreno towards a number to call in case of an emergency. 

 “I was like, ‘Okay, I feel like I really need to talk. COVID[-19] like, that feels kind of serious.’ So I call them and then … [the person on the emergency line was] like well this isn’t an emergency so call at a different time and then they hung up on me. Yeah, they were just so mean,” Moreno recalled.

Having had yet to hear back from anyone as to what their next steps could or should be, Moreno described feeling uncertain about what to do. 

Eventually, Moreno received a call back from a Health Services employee during which they were presented with two options: opt into a quarantine and isolation housing space in one of the apartments on campus, or participate in the pilot launch of a new isolation program. 

Since Moreno’s room as a residential fellow contains a private bathroom, they were offered the chance to remain in their room. However, Moreno was given a caveat along with this option — they would be responsible for coordinating having all of their meals delivered to their door, because Dining Services employees were unable to enter residential buildings. 

“I chose to stay in my room just because I had also just moved back from Hampshire. I needed to unpack. I needed to be in my room. I couldn’t just leave all my stuff.” Moreno said. 

Moreno further explained that they were only asked to isolate in place for about three days, as Health Services was following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines in counting the date that they received the first positive PCR test result as the beginning of their five-day contagion window.

Mount Holyoke Review hosts 3rd annual publication celebration

Photos by Ali Meizels ‘23. Left: Danyah Shaikh ‘25 reads a poem about her senior skip day in high school, published in the Mount Holyoke Review’s latest edition. Right: Morgan Sammut ‘22 performs their newly published writing, an interactive prose piece in the format of a personality quiz, with audience participation.

By Sammi Craig ’23

Staff Writer

On April 25, students gathered in the New York room of Mary Lyon Hall to celebrate the third publication of the Mount Holyoke Review, the College’s student-run literary magazine. Hard copies of the Review were distributed for personal ownership and for attendees to follow along with while contributors read poems, short stories and other written works aloud. 

The Review is an organization whose “mission is to provide a platform for Mount Holyoke College’s diverse voices through creative writing in the form of an annually printed quality literary magazine that will be compiled by the org,” according to their website. The organization works on each publication throughout the year before hosting an end-of-year launch party celebration.

The event started with introductions from the Review’s editors-in-chief, Kylie Gellatly FP ’23 and Ella White ’22, before the floor opened for writers to perform their work aloud. From 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., contributors to the publication were called up by name to present their work, while attendees followed along with their hard copies of the Review. Following the readings, some guests socialized while members of the Review congratulated one another. 

““It was really special for all the members of the org, especially for the seniors who have been with it from the start.””

— Sage Sanderspree '24

“I loved it. I’ve been a reader of the Review for two years now, so seeing it be published in a physical book was really satisfying. It was really special for all the members of the org, especially for the seniors who have been with it from the start,” Sage Sanderspree ’24, an audience member, said. 

The Review was founded at the beginning of the spring of 2020, with their first publication cycle interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. After publishing two online-only editions throughout the 2020-2021 school year, this was the first in-person publication launch party. Excited to finally convene in person for an end-of-year event, several presenters thanked the founders of the organization and the publication’s contributors.

A virtual copy of the first two issues of the Mount Holyoke Review can be found on the organization’s website under the Issues section, with the new third publication scheduled to upload shortly.