On Campus
“It is a milestone that the Betty [Shabazz Cultural Center] has survived … the essence of the Betty has survived. Even though it has changed bodies, the essence still remains,” Dani Darku ’27 said as she walked across campus on Oct. 30, on her way to celebrate the 55th birthday of the Betty Shabazz Cultural Center. “We have to keep in mind that the school did not have the Betty in mind when it was being built. [The school] didn’t have the identities of Black students when it was being built, so we need to keep that in mind and come to the Betty because it is not about the distance, it's about the Betty being a home for us.”
A small brush fire broke out in the wooded area behind 1837 Hall and Prospect Hall on Mount Holyoke College’s campus on Tuesday afternoon. While no flames were visible at time of reporting, a large plume of smoke could be seen emerging from above the trees. Students were evacuated from Prospect Hall and the neighboring Fimbel Maker and Innovation Lab. No injuries have been reported. There appears to be no damage to any residence halls or academic buildings. An MHC Emergency Alert from Public Safety & Services at 1:13 p.m. stated that the fire is “contained.”
For the past few months, the 2024 United States presidential election has been a highly anticipated event nationwide and across the globe. Since Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democratic candidate after current President Joe Biden dropped out of the race in July, many have been curious to see how the election will pan out with the nation’s first female presidency being a possible outcome.
Remembering those who came before us, who paved the way, who put in the work and fought for the right for Black students to be on this campus: these ideas were the sentiment of the weekend homecoming event celebrated by Black students at the Betty Shabazz Cultural Center from Sept. 21 to 22. The house was filled with students from all different class years and backgrounds with the common desire to interact and be in community with fellow Black students. The center, often referred to as the “Betty,” is described by the College as assisting and supporting students from the African diaspora through interactive programming.
Pom-poms in hand and gowns zipped up, the graduating class of 2025 marched down the steps of Gettell Amphitheater while the Five College West African Music Ensemble played energetic music. This processional marked the beginning of the 2024 Convocation ceremony held on Sept. 3, this time at 10 a.m. instead of the usual 12 p.m.
There were scarcely seats available in the Great Room on the evening of Tuesday, Sept. 10, as students gathered to watch a live screening of the presidential debate between former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. While the two candidates debated at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, a projection of the ABC News broadcast played for watch party attendees as they spectated from decorated tables under red, white and blue stage lighting.
As the season winds to a close, students who stayed on Mount Holyoke College’s campus this summer reflected on their experiences with the food options available in the Dining Commons through interviews with Mount Holyoke News.
Dwight Hall's copper beech tree took "severe damage" after last night’s storms, according to an email sent by Mount Holyoke College at 12:32 p.m. today. The trunk had split down the side, creating multiple stress fractures at the tree's base. The College's arborists and tree consultants began trimming the beech this morning. However, according to Grounds Supervisor Dave Barthelette, by 12:59 p.m. they determined it too “unstable” to safely remain upright.
"It has to be taken down," Barthelette said. "It's devastating."
Many students at Mount Holyoke’s 187th Commencement ceremony last May used the event as an opportunity to show support for Palestine amid the Israeli military’s ongoing bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
The bulk of the demonstrations were organized by I-Change for Palestine, a group of pro-Palestine student activists at Mount Holyoke. Advocating for Mount Holyoke’s divestment from Israel is currently one of their main goals.
On April 11, 2024, students, staff and community members gathered to hear guest speaker Dr. Riv-Ellen Prell present her research on Christian nationalism, white power and American antisemitism for the first time publicly.
The Mount Holyoke College Student Government Association’s final official senate meeting of the academic year was held on Tuesday, April 23, 2024.
Previously, on April 8, Mount Holyoke News published a piece titled “Students believe the Dining Commons is giving them food poisoning, the College disagrees,” discussing the experiences of the wider student community with food poisoning and sickness from the dining hall food.
From April 15-19, MoZone Peer Educators, the Office of Community and Belonging and other campus partners held events dedicated to allyship and social justice for “More Than An Ally Week 2024.”
Mount Holyoke College’s Student Government Association held its first meeting in two weeks on Tuesday, April 16, 2024. Last week, SGA did not hold its weekly senate meeting due to the annual BOOM! Conference. Because of this break, there was much to be addressed at this week’s meeting.
The theme of this year’s Trailblazers of Color Leadership Conference was “Looking Back to Look Forward.” According to Mount Holyoke College’s events calendar, the conference aimed to “[mark] a decade of commitment to empowering gender-diverse individuals of color across the Five Colleges, Western Massachusetts, and beyond.”
“This business is proud to say we don’t care about women,” declared a sticker bearing the colors of the transgender flag. This sticker, along with several transgender flags placed into toilets, was found in one of the bathrooms inside Blanchard Hall on March 31, International Transgender Day of Visibility.
Mount Holyoke College Senate held its weekly meeting this past Tuesday, April 2, 2024. To start the meeting, the Mount Holyoke College Land Acknowledgement was read aloud to the senate board, giving the attendees time to reflect on the land they inhabit.
After the land acknowledgment, the E-Board shared updates regarding laundry and the Ways and Means Guidelines for the 2024-2025 school year.
Mount Holyoke College’s weekly senate meeting on March 5 began with the Mount Holyoke College Land Acknowledgement and an overview of the meeting’s agenda. The agenda opened with an overview of the Indigenous Nation of the Month, the Coosuk Abenaki Nation.
On Wednesday, Feb. 28, Mount Holyoke students and community members gathered in Hooker Auditorium to attend a McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives panel. The event, titled “Democracy’s Global Test: Reflections on the Year of Elections,” aimed to explore threats to democracy, important elections and their international impact in the “biggest election year in history.”
On Feb. 7, 2024, 16-year-old Indigenous nonbinary student Nex Benedict went to use the bathroom at an Oklahoma high school. Teen Vogue reported that because of anti-transgender laws in the state, requiring students to use the bathroom that correlated with the gender they were assigned at birth, Benedict was required to use the women’s restroom.
Throughout February, Mount Holyoke College and the Association of Pan-African Unity has hosted several events in celebration of Black History Month. This array of events has ranged from keynote speakers to galas to movie nights. During the week of Feb. 18, the College held several events, including an open mic night and a Black History Month gala.
Mount Holyoke College’s weekly senate meeting began on Feb. 27 with the Mount Holyoke College Land Acknowledgement as well as an overview of the meeting’s agenda. The agenda began with a check-in and debrief and ended with an open floor. The check-in began with the senate discussing their “roses, buds, and thorns” regarding the current Mount Holyoke community. After discussing for a few minutes, students shared their answers.
The keynote speaker for Black History Month this year was LaTosha Brown, one of the co-founders of the Black Voters Matter Fund, which strives to bring out more Black voters in the United States and support local organizations that encourage voter turnout.
Students, faculty and staff gathered in Hooker Auditorium on Feb. 12 for the Mount Holyoke College Association of Pan-African Unity’s ‘‘Voices of Resilience: Black Professors in Higher Education.” The event speakers included Professor of Economics and Critical Race and Political Economy Lucas Wilson; Chair and Professor of Biological Sciences Renae Brodie; and Associate Dean of Students, Community and Belonging Latrina Denson.
Student Government Association Senate opened its meeting on Feb. 20 with a reading of the Mount Holyoke College Land Acknowledgement and the meeting agenda. The agenda included E-Board updates, open floor and a special town hall with Residential Life and Disability Services to discuss the housing process.
Nearly 100 people came to Mount Holyoke College’s Hooker Auditorium on Thursday, Feb. 8, to attend a screening of “Faces of Medicine,” a film showcasing the stories of those who have experienced the struggle and joy of being a Black female doctor in the United States. The film was created by Dr. Khama Ennis, and through it, viewers learned about her life and the lives of other doctors featured in it.
On Feb. 13, Karla Youngblood, associate vice president for Facilities Management, and Carl Ries, treasurer and vice president for finance and administration, announced an update on the ongoing geothermal energy initiative here at Mount Holyoke College. This update provides some key information surrounding upcoming construction, which may impact students.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Mount Holyoke College’s historic gender-inclusive admissions policy. At convocation on Sept. 2, 2014, former President Lynn Pasquerella welcomed in the school year with the official announcement of the policy, making the College the second historically women’s institution to formally open its doors to female, transgender and nonbinary applicants.
Mount Holyoke College’s Student Government Association opened its senate meeting on Feb. 13 with the Mount Holyoke College Land Acknowledgement, emphasizing the importance of learning about local Indigenous nations.
Afterwards, Vice President for College Relations Kassandra Jolley and Vice President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer Carl Ries were welcomed on stage to present information about financial aid and the College’s budget.
The residents of the Shirley Chisholm Living Learning Community celebrated the 100th birthday of the community’s namesake, previous Mount Holyoke College Professor of Anthropology and Sociology Shirley Chisholm, on Nov. 22. Chisholm, who died in 2005, would have turned 100 years old on Nov. 30. To honor her legacy and importance to the College, the community’s many residents of the third and fourth floor of North Rockefeller Hall gathered at the Betty Shabazz Cultural Center for a community dinner organized by Shirley Chisholm LLC Resident Advisors Karoline Bastien ’27 and Madoussou Dem ’27.