BY SARAH WASHINGTON '19
On Thursday Feb. 16 and Friday Feb. 17, I had the privilege of seeing the activist and author of “Bad Feminist” Roxane Gay, give a lecture and lead a writing workshop. Although she had many lessons to teach us, what struck me the most was her view on the careless ways in which we treat language as activists.
BY CHLOE JENSEN '20
“Mount Holyoke prides itself on diversity and really needs to do a better job being accessible to first-generation and low-income students,” said Andrea Corbett ’20, a first-generation college student from the Bronx in New York. For students who are the first to attend college in their family, the experience of confronting classism is unique.
BY AICHA BELABBES ’19 & RAVEN GEIGER ’17
Under the new Trump administration the fight against the Dakota Access Pipe Line has become a grueling uphill battle. Even though the Army Corps of Engineers refrained from building the pipeline under former president, Barack Obama, President Trump wants to go full-steam ahead.
BY HANNAH ROACH '17
"Anne Frank could have been an 83 year old writer living in Boston." Countless signs with similar messages have appeared since Trump's Immigration Ban was signed on Holocaust Remembrance Day. Frank, like many other Jews, Romani and disabled individuals, was denied a visa and subsequent entrance into the United States. She, like many others, was a refugee.
BY SIDDHI SHAH ’19
With my life, identity and family split across two countries, I grew up a frequent flyer. I know every rule of flying etiquette like the back of my hand. How to pack my entire life into a tiny suitcase, avoid queues, deal with jet lag, and most importantly, tell my ride from the airport that my flight lands an hour after it actually does to make time for that racial profiling I am going to be subjected to.
BY CHLOE JENSEN '20
Despite its history of wealthy students, Mount Holyoke – like many elite colleges and universities in the United States – claims to be great for low and low-middle income students and families with their stellar financial aid packages. I would challenge that notion and say that we are in dire need of a conversation about class and classism.
BY KATIE PRINCE '19
Shame. Shame is the only word that continually comes to my mind when I think about the recent executive orders issued by Donald Trump regarding the ban of any immigration from seven Middle Eastern countries. It's not only this national shame that comes to my mind, it is the shame shared by my fellow Americans who are not personally affected by this move and their apathy and literal disregard for those who are being deeply affected by this turmoil.
BY ANDREA HERNANDEZ ’19
In the early hours of August 23, 1994, 23 Cubans packed themselves into a 24 foot boat on the island’s coast near Matanzas. Among them were my loving parents and then 2-year-old brother. Unfortunately, as they prepared to embark, their trip was delayed by a mechanical failure. The group scrambled and was able to find a local mechanic who agreed to fix the boat. The next day, joined by the mechanic, they crossed through the Rio Yumuri to Florida.
BY CHLOE JENSEN '20
As the semester winds down and due dates that seemed months away start to near, I’ve noticed my stress levels skyrocket. As someone who generally cares about her academic performance, I have become aware of the huge emphasis on finals at college. Often, the emphasis on finals I tend to observe is the stress that surrounds it. In many ways, I feel as though the stress culture at Mount Holyoke — the constant discussion of grades, assignments, and lack of self care — has impacted my mental andemotional healthand caused anxiety surrounding finals, especially having never experienced them at Mount Holyoke.
BY KATIE PRINCE '19
Malibu Barbie better move over because there’s a new girl — and guy — in town. Mattel, the makers of the Barbie doll, released a new line of Barbies called “Fashionistas” that come in tall, petite, curvy and “original” body types. The new line also includes seven different skin tones, 22 eye colors and 24 different types of hair. Ken got a part in the new look as well. All of these changes are in an effort to create a more diversified look for Barbie.
BY HALEY LUCIAN '17
As the results of the Nov. 8 presidential election settle in, we begin to look ahead at days to come. Often the most productive period for an American president is their first 100 days in office. Using the momentum of the election, a newly elected president will often pass several initiatives rapidly and lay a general foundation for later policies. But from what we know, president-elect Donald Trump’s policies are severely lacking in detail.
BY ASHLEY LUND '17
For as long as I can recall, voting in my first presidential election has been an occasion I have anticipated more than any other milestone. Nov. 8, 2016, the date of this year’s historic election, became the first time Americans would have the chance to elect a woman to our nation’s highest office. Also on Nov. 8 was the 179th anniversary of the first continuing women’s college — Mount Holyoke — opening its doors. As we gathered in celebration around Mary Lyon’s grave to honor her and the history of our revolutionary school, the significance of the moment was intensified by stickers bearing the words “I Voted” worn proudly on those among us. Casting my first presidential ballot for the first woman candidate for president of the United States while simultaneously studying at one of the Seven Sisters instilled within me immense pride and the belief that we had reached a turning point in our society where women could truly accomplish anything.
BY HANNAH ROACH '17
I hadn’t yet written about my experience visiting Auschwitz. It’s been five years since I traveled to the Auschwitz work camp and Birkenau death camps in Poland with a group of other Jewish teenagers. At the time, I was 15 years old and couldn’t quite find the words to talk about the experience.
