BY MIMI HUCKINS ’21
A typical morning for me in 2009 would begin when I boarded the school bus, often in my Camp Rock t-shirt, listening to the Jonas Brothers’ album “A Little Bit Longer” on my purple iPod Nano. The Jonas Brothers defined a very memorable period of my life. Nick Jonas was my first celebrity crush. I threw a fit when my mom wouldn’t let me buy a Camp Rock duvet cover which featured extremely enlarged faces of each brother.
BY CHRIS CASSIDY ’20
My brother Zach has autism. Over the past few years, he has aged out of school services and is now receiving what are called “adult services” by the state of Vermont. This has come with mixed success and the realization that there really aren’t any “adult services.” We are working to find a permanent living situation for Zach before my parents become too old to take care of him. Between meetings with the state, program research, finding money for services, doctor’s appointments and making sure someone is supervising Zach, my family is exhausted.
BY GWYNETH SPINCKEN ’21
Today, the average college or university offers some version of disability services, and most encourage students in need to access this aid. These accommodations allow for more equitable treatment for students with disabilities. The support is vital, and without it, professors would overlook many students with the potential to make meaningful contributions to their college or university by not properly supporting them. Additionally, students would be punished unfairly for their disabilities and suffer from lower grades for something they have little to no control over.
BY OLIVIA MARBLE ’21]
The Democratic primary race for the 2020 election is already likely to be the largest in history, according to TIME Magazine. There are currently 12 Democrats who have declared their candidacy and, according to the New York Times, there are 14 more who may declare soon. I believe that the sheer number of candidates will split the Democratic party and allow Donald Trump to win another term as president.
BY NINA LARBI ’22
“Tidying Up with Marie Kondo” has taken the world by storm. In the series, Marie Kondo, a Japanese author and organizing consultant, travels to the homes of disorganized Americans and aids them in cleaning their homes using her Shinto-inspired Kon-Mari method. Kondo has faced backlash for her methods, and this negative reaction is not only incurred from random individuals on the internet; prominent figures like Jimmy Kimmel and Ellen DeGeneres are also treating her with disrespect. The hatred directed towards Kondo is rooted in racism and a sense of American superiority, and this prejudice is coming from both sides of the political spectrum.
BY PRERNA CHAUDHARY ’22
I first saw South Asian American political commentator and comedian Hasan Minhaj on “The Daily Show” as a senior correspondent in 2014. He introduced himself then as “has-AHN min-AJ.” When he said his name on his own Net ix special, “Hasan Min- haj: Homecoming King,” he pronounced it “HUS-un.” Now, four years later, when I watch his Net ix show, “Patriot Act,” he says “I’m HUS-un meen-AAJ,” which is the actual pronunciation of his name.
BY NINA LARBI ’22
Being new to college, I still find it jarring when I go on social media and see people I have known since we were seven years old posting pictures of themselves completely plastered in their white-brick dorm rooms, complete with cheap IPA. Maybe it is because I was part of the overachiever clique in high school, so the most risky thing that any of us did was watch an R-rated movie when we were 15, but it’s just plain weird to see your old friends become social alcoholics, all documented by Instagram and Snapchat.
On the list titled “2019 Best National Liberal Arts Colleges” by U.S. News, Mount Holyoke College ranks at No. 30. Niche ranked it at No. 33, and Forbes said it was No. 49. Why does our college ranking vary so widely on different lists? Different rankings are based on different criteria, and between the lists, the same criteria is weighted differently. While some ranking systems measure “reputation, resources and selectivity,” others measure “student satisfaction” and “post graduate success.” There is little agreement or standardization between the lists that far too many young students use to determine their future schools.
BY SRISHTI MUKHERJEE ’21
Many of us have already squandered a couple of hours in the past month to binge on Netflix’s latest viral offering: the original thriller “You.” In true American fashion, “You” features an exceedingly attractive cast. Joe Goldberg (Penn Badgley, “Gossip Girl”), is a stalker who incessantly pursues his blonde love interest, Guinevere Beck (Elizabeth Lail, “Once Upon a Time”). Joe’s peculiar and distasteful personality is made apparent to viewers from the get-go. And yet, an alarming number of people seem to be attracted to his character.
BY PRERNA CHAUDHARY ’22
When Mount Holyoke College was founded, one of the institution’s goals was to create a place where women would remain “pure,” drawing from Mary Lyon’s strictly Christian values. The student body was mostly homogeneous in the beginning, predominantly made up of cisgender white women who came from evangelical families.
BY MARA KLEINBERG ’22
Each year, Mount Holyoke students look forward to the Vespers concert. Performed by members of the Glee Club, Chamber Choir, Chorale and other musical groups on campus, the performances aim to celebrate the dawning of the winter season. This year’s theme was “On a Winter’s Night.”
BY PRERNA CHAUDHARY ’22
I began to think critically about the role of race in friendship during my firstyear seminar, The Meaning of Friendship. Our Vice President of Student Life and Dean of Students, Marcella Runell Hall, is the professor for this class. We learned about social identities, which are the groups a person identifies with that shape their daily experiences. In Hall’s book, “UnCommon Bonds,” women of various social identities tell stories about friendships that bridge various social divides. Professor Sonia Nieto from UMass Amherst wrote that it is “not easy” to be friends with people different than you.
BY OLIVIA MARBLE ’21
When I went to Spain right after my 18th birthday, I was so excited to drink for the first time. My friend group in high school wasn’t particularly reckless (the only illegal thing we ever did together was pirate “Frozen” the day after its release), so I had never even had a sip of alcohol before then. Lucky for me, I tried my first alcoholic beverage in a country with some of the best wine in the world. It tasted so good that I would have a glass almost every time we went out to dinner.
BY NINA LARBI ’22
Last Tuesday’s election saw many historic successes for women of color, including the election of the first NativeAmerican and Muslim women to Congress. These results have garnered support and celebration, as we, women of color, are finally seeing ourselves represented in legislative bodies.
BY NINA LARBI ’22
In late October, Donald Trump informed the nation of an executive order he was preparing that would eliminate birthright citizenship, the amendment that currently grants citizenship to anyone born on U.S. territory. His reasoning was simple: that America is the only country to have birthright citizenship (this is false; around 30 other countries share this law).
