Administration should provide services to smokers
Grab n’ Go should expand to include more options
Stigma against boy bands is undeserved
When boy bands are mentioned, most conjure the mental image of pubescent boys with over-styled hair, wearing ASOS catalogue clothes and singing vapid, conventional pop music. Members of these groups are not considered “true artists” and their fans are reduced to insipid fan girls who only care about looks.
Mount Holyoke won’t divest, but will profit off of student protest
Holding Mountain Day on Rosh Hashanah disregarded Jewish faith
Mimi Huckins gives her take on campus caffeination options
Mount Holyoke should introduce student debt forgiveness
Attacks on teenage climate advocates are inexcusable
The climate crisis has landed in the hands of teenage activists as far-right politicians continuously refuse to promote environmentalism and deny the reality of global warming. In response, commentators, talk show hosts and social media users have begun attacking these young conservationists in a show of character that is both troubling and disconnected.
HBO’s “Euphoria” relies on tired teen media tropes
Democratic debates are uninspiring and unhelpful
The Dining Commons needs plant-based options
Jane Kvederas discusses the fact that the new Dining Commons does not reliably serve enough plant-based protein options to provide enough sustainable nutrients for those with dietary restrictions. While the Dining Commons is doing a fine job overall providing for the dietary needs of students, there are improvements to be made in providing for vegan and vegetarian students, especially when it comes to protein.
The Asian “model minority” stereotype is not all-encompassing
BY PRERNA CHAUDHARY ’22
Due to the perception that many Asian-Americans have achieved conventional forms of success, like attending highly ranked colleges and having a high income compared to the national average, thus achieving the “American Dream,” they are often stereotyped to be the “model minority” of the United States.
The “non-liberal arts” 12-credit limit is unnecessary and limiting
BY OLIVIA MARBLE ’21
Towards the end of the add-drop period for this semester, I received a confusing email from the Office of the Registrar. It read: “you are close to reaching the Non-Liberal Arts limit at Mount Holyoke. This means that you are close to maximum amount (12 credits) of classes in the CUSP [curricular support] or non-liberal arts designation that you can count toward your 128 credit requirement.”
Reparations for slavery are more feasible than many Americans believe
BY NINA LARBI ’22
One of the issues dividing the ballot in the 2020 election is slavery reparations. The concept has always had an ambiguous definition, but fundamentally, it entitles compensation — usually financial — for the descendants of slaves, meant to make amends for the centuries of brutality Americans faced under slavery and their economic and legal disenfranchisement thereafter.
Heavily grading class participation ignores students with anxiety
BY MIMI HUCKINS ’21
In my junior year of high school I had the same conversation with a teacher that I always had to. We had just split up the class for two separate, smaller discussions and I had not spoken. While we retreated back to our classroom after the brief conversation, the teacher made a remark about me not participating. “I’m trying,” I said timidly. He scoffed and said, “Really?” I spent the rest of the class trying not to cry.
North Africans’ identities as African should be respected
BY NINA LARBI ’22
The North African identity is complex and often goes unrecognized. Those who identify as North African are consistently labeled as Middle Eastern, Muslim or simply as ambiguously brown. We are grouped together with the Middle East most frequently, aggregated under the acronym MENA (Middle East and North Africa). Whatever the label is, it is hardly ever “African.” Today, “African” has become synonymous with “black.” This is not to dismiss anyone else’s pride or identity, but we as North Africans are Africans, too. Despite racial and cultural differences, North Af- rica should be considered part of Africa rather than an extension of the Middle East. The mindset that the Maghreb — the Northern region of Africa, including Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia and Mauritania — functions as part of the Middle East damages North African identity and degrades ethnic pride in the region.
Drag Ball needs to be more accessible to QTPOC
BY SAACHI KHANDPUR ’22
As a first-year student, I was told that Drag Ball was not to be missed. Drag Ball is a party and drag show that has been hosted by Familia, Mount Holyoke’s support network for queer and trans people of color (QTPOC), since 2017. It is an event meant to create a safe space for QTPOC on campus.
Blaming affirmative action ignores the influence of legacy and bribery
BY NINA LARBI’22
High schoolers across the nation are waiting anxiously for their college acceptance letters. When they receive their decisions, the agonizing often isn’t over. Students wonder why they did not get accepted by MIT while their friends did, or why they did not get enough financial aid from the University of Pittsburgh while their classmate got a full ride.