Jonathan Michael Square discusses ‘democratizing higher education’

Photo courtesy of Jonathan Michael Square.
Jonathan Michael Square, above, talked to Sandra Russell’s gender studies and art class on Zoom.

By Jesse Hausknecht-Brown ’25

Managing Editor of Layout & Features Editor

Content warning: This article mentions slavery.

Jonathan Michael Square, an assistant professor of Black visual culture at Parsons School of Design, believes in “democratizing higher education.” His avenue of doing so was to turn one of his classes, Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom, into an ever-evolving social media-based project. He uses social media platforms — including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube — to share the work he has done around slavery and fashion, which he believes allows for more engagement than traditional styles of teaching. Square visited Professor Sandra Russell’s class Art, Public Space and Social Justice Activism via Zoom on Wednesday, Feb. 22.

As described on its website, “Fashioning the Self in Slavery and Freedom predominately explores the intersections between slavery and fashion. This digital humanities project is also an entry point for exploring larger questions of race, identity and equity.” During the talk, Square defined digital humanities as “the use of the internet or digital platforms as an educational tool,” although he stated that the kind of work he does is “a little more dynamic” than traditional digital humanities practices. 

“Sometimes you have to use terms to make yourself legible to academics, so sometimes we find ourselves using the term digital humanities even though it’s more social media,” Square said.

Russell has wanted to have Square talk to one of her classes for some time, but the timing never worked out. She has been inspired by Square’s work for years and was grateful that he was able to visit.

“One of my goals in designing this course was to foreground artists, academics and activists’ utilization of public spaces — be they brick and mortar, digital or otherwise — to engage audiences’ political, social and historical imaginations,” Russell said. “Jonathan’s work across digital platforms, as well as his curatorial work, does exactly this, and I think this is a real way to build solidarity and resistance.”

In an interview with Mount Holyoke News, Square explained that he is usually asked to present research from his upcoming book and doesn’t often get to give a talk about his methodologies. “I love presenting my work to new audiences because it forces me to clarify my thinking on my own practice,” Square said. “It was a real treat to be able to stand back and reflect on how I use social media as an educational tool.”

Square was also a 2021-2022 Curatorial fellow at the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and formerly instructed at Harvard University, where he taught versions of the Fashioning the Self course.

“Fashioning the Self” also exists in the format of two zines, one of which can be viewed online. The other is available for purchase in print. “I also have a bone to pick with academia. I think academic writing is a bit dry and sometimes inaccessible and many academics aren’t really interested in engaging with larger audiences,” Square said. “I wanted to create content that to me felt academically rigorous but was also interesting and readable and even fun.”

Madeline Greenberg ’26, a student in Russell’s class, enjoyed the content of Square’s talk and described his work as “incredible.” 

“Square also has his course syllabi available on his website, so anyone is able to almost take the class themself,” Greenberg said. “This aspect of his work is incredibly interesting to me as it feels like we learn right alongside him and that his work is pushing against traditional and elitist ideas of higher education.”

Siobhan Meï ’11, a lecturer at Manning College of Information and Computer Sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, also visited the class during Square’s talk. She and Square co-founded a digital humanities project called “Rendering Revolution: Sartorial Approaches to Haitian History,” which is, as described on its website, “a queer, bilingual, feminist experiment in digital interdisciplinary scholarship that uses the lens of fashion and material culture to trace the aesthetic, social and political reverberations of the Haitian Revolution as a world-historical moment.”   

Meï first conceptualized “Rendering Revolution” and then shared her idea with Square when she invited him to give a talk at UMass. They then began to work together to create the project which launched in summer 2020.

In his interview with Mount Holyoke News, Square described “Rendering Revolution” and “Fashioning the Self” as “sister projects,” with three important differences. “‘Rendering Revolution’ is focused on Haiti and, to a certain degree, the wider Francophone world. Secondly, ‘Rendering Revolution’ is supported by a transnational team of scholars that includes Siobhan, me, and a number of other Haitian and Haitianist academics and translators. Thirdly, ‘Rendering Revolution’ is a bilingual project. We publish all of our content in English and Haitian Kreyòl,” Square said. 

During the talk, Square discussed the curatorial work he does, focusing specifically on an exhibit called “Slavery in the Hands of Harvard” which was housed in the Center for Government and International Studies at Harvard. Square talked about how using a non-traditional space forced people to engage with the work between activities or on their way to class. 

“The show used contemporary art to explore Harvard’s connection to slavery. … The exhibition was in the hallway of a public building on Harvard’s campus … so it had a wider reach than a show in a traditional gallery space,” Square said. 

Toward the end of the talk, students and participants joining on Zoom were invited to ask questions. One person on the Zoom call, who identified themself as a professor based in Florida, asked Square about the trend of race-related scholarship being politically repressed. “The study of Black history is underfunded and under assault, which certainly makes my work feel more necessary,” Square said in his interview.

Greenberg had an interest in fashion and social justice prior to the talk but hadn’t been sure how they could work together. “I had actually been discussing with my parents how on earth I plan to combine those interests. It seemed that I was trying to bridge an impossible gap but once I started learning about Jonathan Michael Square I realized that there is a world of possibility for the combination of fashion and social justice,” Greenberg said. “I am thrilled that the gender studies department hosted his visit and I look forward to following his work in the future through Instagram and Facebook.”

“Once I started learning about Jonathan Michael Square I realized that there is a world of possibility for the combination of fashion and social justice.
”

— Madeline Greenberg '26

Russell’s only wish was for more time, given that not all the participant’s questions got answered. She was also grateful for the hybrid model which allows for people to visit a classroom space who may not otherwise be able to.

“I see Jonathan’s work as such a generous and hopeful way of reimagining and re-rendering ideas and histories. Part of the challenge of doing transformative intellectual work involves telling better, more accurate — and thus more liberatory — stories. This means finding ways to decenter hegemonic narratives and center the experiences of those who have been historically marginalized, silenced and erased. Jonathan’s work does exactly this,” Russell said. “By bringing it to wider audiences, I see him creating and co-creating powerful spaces for community, liberation and worldmaking.”

Glascock contestant Jordan Trice discusses his writing career and inspirations

Amherst junior Jordan Trice will compete in the 100th annual Glascock poetry contest. Photo courtesy of Shana Hansell.

By Jesse Hausknecht-Brown ’25

Managing Editor of Layout & Features Editor

Jordan Trice, a junior at Amherst College, can’t remember a time when he “didn’t do lots of bad writing.” Since starting the practice in childhood, he has worked on his craft more and more, recently gaining a spot as a contestant in the 100th Glascock poetry contest.

As described on the website, the “Kathryn Irene Glascock Intercollegiate Poetry Contest is the oldest continuously-running poetry contest for undergraduate students in the United States.” Mount Holyoke College hosts the contest every year, and since the second year of the competition, the Glascock committee has invited other colleges to join.

This year, Amherst College is one of the invited schools with Trice chosen as their representative. A creative writing professor that Trice had taken a class with during his first semester at college emailed him and asked if he would like to do it. “I was like, ‘Yes, of course.’ And then they put me in contact with y’alls people,” Trice said. “And here we are.”

Trice described later researching the contest and seeing that Robert Frost had been a judge and Slyvia Plath had won; this was when he started to become both excited and nervous about the competition.

One moment in particular stood out to Trice in regard to his interest in writing. When he was in sixth grade, a class required everyone to create a presentation about what job they wanted to have when they were older. “I put, kind of as a cop-out because I didn’t really prepare, [that] I wanted to be a writer,” Trice said. “They want[ed] you to have how much money you’d make, so I said ‘it varies’ and then had a picture of books.”

Trice, a double major in English and sexuality, women’s and gender studies, tends to write shorter poems and submitted a number of poems within the time limit. The first two are inspired by his first summer at Amherst when he had a research fellowship looking at “reimaginings of the stories of the women of the Odyssey in contemporary literature.” He was “obsessed” with Penelope, Odysseus’ wife who remains faithful to her husband while he is away on his 20-year-long journey, and was inspired to write.

“I ended up writing a couple of poems, Penelope-inspired poems, I call them my Penelope poems, but those are the opening ones,” Trice said.

In general, Trice draws inspiration from art, whether it be literature, paintings or music. He describes small moments of inspiration and credits Toni Morrison for “[bringing] out a lot of those moments.” 

Additionally, he has a habit of writing poetry on planes. His family lives in Tampa Bay, Florida, and every time he gets on a plane to fly home, he ends up writing. “I’ve been trying to tease out why that is but I think it’s partly because I’m listening to music and I have nothing else to do to distract me, no [cell] service or anything,” Trice said. “It’s just whatever music I’ve downloaded on my phone and then I’ll be listening to something and then it’ll just come.”

 Trice explained that some of his favorite writers are Toni Morrison, Allen Ginsberg, Maya Phillips — whose poetry collection “Erou,” Trice described as “possibly my favorite poetry collection at the moment” — and Evie Shockley, who is one of the 2023 Glascock judges and who Trice saw read at Amherst during the fall of 2022. 

“I’ve been moving in between excited and nervous,” Trice said. “But I think right now I’m feeling excited for [the contest]. I’m excited to meet the other people [and] to meet Evie Shockley again. It seems like a great time and it’s the 100-year anniversary so it sounds like it’s gonna be a very, very fun time.”

Mixed Identity Student Collective plans for the semester

The MISC board members, pictured above, pose for a photo. MISC creates community for mixed-race students while advocating for representation. Photo courtesy of Amanda Adams ‘25.

By Jesse Hausknecht-Brown ’25

Managing Editor of Layout & Features Editor

When Kat Sloop ’26 arrived at Mount Holyoke College this year, they were thrilled to find that there was a student organization dedicated to students who identify as multiracial or multiethnic. Coming from a predominantly white neighborhood and high school, Sloop, who identifies as half white and half Vietnamese, had struggled to find a place to explore her Vietnamese heritage or connect with other mixed-identity people. At Mount Holyoke, the Mixed Identity Student Collective provided her with that space.

“There were Asian associations and stuff, but being a mixed person going into those spaces is very nerve-wracking because … at least for me, I was like, ‘I’m not fully Asian.’ And so when I found out MISC was a thing here, I really wanted to jump at the opportunity,” Sloop said.

MISC aims to foster community between mixed students, increase visibility and representation for mixed people and work toward advocacy projects on campus. MISC was co-founded at the beginning of the 2022 spring semester by Amanda Adams ’25 and Chloe Berry ’24, who met and became friends at a mixer for mixed students put on by the Asian American Students in Action group.

“That was a really groundbreaking moment because it was the first time we felt recognized for our identities and we wanted to increase that space outside of just Asian American students,” Adams said.

Adams, similarly to Sloop, described feeling out of place in other identity-based student organizations, which was part of what led her to create MISC. It was important to Adams that there be a space for students who “often go unrecognized for their identities” to feel seen and heard. MISC’s first-ever event was a mixed mixer similar to the one where Adams and Berry met.

“[The first event] went really well. [Interim] President Tatum came and we had a lot of good feedback on what we were doing because many people, especially coming from their hometowns or their old schools, had never experienced an organization like ours,” Adams said. “Because outside of Mount Holyoke … these affinity spaces don’t really exist at all.”

Adams and Sloop both feel like MISC is a close-knit community and enjoy being able to be in a space with other students with similar shared experiences. At discussion-based meetings, members have the opportunity to introduce themselves and share something about their ethnic background before diving into question prompts.

“We touch on not necessarily unique experiences, but we try to hone in on the shared experiences … We talk about those differences, but … that communal experience is what we mainly try to emphasize,” Sloop said.

As the senator for MISC, Sloop goes to senate meetings every Tuesday to announce upcoming events and bring up concerns or issues if need be. Sloop’s favorite part of MISC is getting to talk and connect with other mixed students.

“There’s always that discussion aspect and we’re getting really deep into identity and what it means to be a mixed individual, and that’s my favorite thing,” Sloop said. “It’s so nice to sit down with people and even if they don’t come from a similar background as me, having those basic things to relate on. It’s really good knowing there’s other people out there.”

Looking into the future, Adams wants to continue to do advocacy work with MISC to increase visibility for mixed students at the College. Adams is currently planning on possibly doing a BOOM! panel later in the spring. Before then, MISC, which holds monthly events, is having a boba and painting event in March, and a screening of And/Or, a senior thesis film by AJ Johnson ’23 that explores the intersection of mixed-race identity and sexuality, in April.

“We’ve been looking into factors of ways in which we can not only increase representation but also have conversations with our community members on what more we can do for individuals with multiracial identities to feel … seen and heard,” Adams said.

Deconstructing and Decolonizing Wellness Fair shows cultural and religious practices

Photo courtesy of Nafeesah Ahmed-Adedoja '23. The Muslim Student Association's booth, pictured above, featured dates, a prayer mat, and more.

By Jesse Hausknecht-Brown ’25

Managing Editor of Layout & Features Editor

Numerous colorful flags from countries around the world hung from the balconies in the Great Room in the Blanchard Community Center on Sunday, Nov. 13, during Mount Holyoke’s first-ever Deconstructing and Decolonizing Wellness Fair. Mount Holyoke Peer Health Educators hosted the fair in collaboration with some of the campus’ cultural and religious organizations. Peer Health Educator and Wellness Chair Nafeesah Ahmed-Adedoja ’23 led the event planning along with the other two members of the Wellness Team, Raven Joseph ’25 and Sean Fabrega ’23, as well as Be Well Area Coordinator Sarah Garijo-Garde.

Ahmed-Adedoja explained that Joseph had read an article about decolonizing wellness and shared the idea with the team. From there, they came up with the idea for the fair. “We felt it was important to highlight practices that may not appear in the mainstream and bring awareness to [them] in our community,” Ahmed-Adedoja said.

The team had been working on planning this event since September. They wanted to make sure that they were presenting authentic cultural traditions and wellness practices. In early October, they reached out to the following groups and organizations: Mount Holyoke African and Caribbean Student Association, La Unidad, Jewish Student Union, Muslim Student Association, Origami Club, Students of Hinduism Reaching Inwards, Asian Center for Empowerment, Counseling Service, Health Services, Daughters of Zion and FAMILIA.

“Firstly, we wanted to ensure that we were accurately representing cultures and spiritual [and] religious practices from around the world and decided to get organizations on campus involved to reach our goals,” Ahmed-Adedoja said. “We also had to do a lot of research on food, drinks and other items to make our event come to life.” Seven restaurants catered the event: Priya Indian Cuisine, Jamaica Spice Paradise, El Comalito, Oriental Flavor, IYA Sushi and Noodle Kitchen South Hadley, Bernardino’s Bakery and LimeRed Teahouse.

The Wellness Team wanted to publicize the event early on and tabled in Blanch for two weeks prior to the fair. They raised money for the Crisis Text Line and The Trevor Project by selling “flowers and tea” goodie bags. The team anticipated a 40-person turn out and were happily surprised to see over 100 people attend the fair and, as Ahmed-Adedoja stated, “learn about cultural and religious wellness traditions, make stress balls, spin the wheel and get a bite to eat.”

Joseph was also surprised to see how many people showed up and was “relieved” to see that students were having a good time and engaging with the booths. “This event was necessary because it acknowledged the disconnect we have with the origins of wellness practices seen in mainstream media today,” Joseph said. “Notably, the portrayal of wellness often reflects how it has been stripped of its history to become inaccessible and more profitable.”

Ahmed-Adedoja hopes that the Peer Health Educators host more wellness fairs in the future, especially because the team received positive feedback from students regarding the fair. “During and after the event people were hoping it would become a long-standing tradition which excited [Fabrega], [Joseph] and I,” Ahmed-Adedoja said.

Ahmed-Adedoja serves as the secretary and Five College representative for the Muslim Student Association board and enjoyed running the MSA’s booth at the fair. “Our booth included dates, prayer beads, sweets, quran, henna, prayer mat and zam zam water. As Muslims, we have many ways which we connect to Wellness through our faith and items that are of huge significance in Islamic history and our everyday lives,” Ahmed-Adedoja said. “We hoped to share and enlighten others of what some of these practices were and also provide other Muslims with a sense of empowerment and recognition.”

Joseph enjoyed getting to work with other student organizations on campus. “I’m glad we collaborated with them because we couldn’t have done this without their hard work,” Joseph said.

Ahmed-Adedoja enjoyed getting to work with Joseph and Fabrega and is excited to plan similar events with them in the future. “Working with [Fabrega] and [Joseph] has honestly been the highlight of my semester and I am excited to see what we do next semester as we work toward part two of the Deconstructing and Decolonizing Wellness Fair, [which will include] a speaker and more.”

Students fight for stricter campus COVID-19 regulations

Photo by Carmen Mickelson ’24.
Pictured above, the COVID-19 Testing Center, which isn’t currently operating. While students were required to test twice a week during the last school year, they are not required to test at all this year.

By Rebecca Gagnon ’23 & Jesse Hausknecht-Brown ’25

Features Editor | Managing Editor of Layout & Features Editor

Content warning: This article discusses ableism.

Petitions, signatures, demands and fear are just a few of the reactions that arose in the Mount Holyoke community when the announcement of relaxed COVID-19 regulations were heard.

After three semesters of required twice weekly testing for COVID-19 in addition to masking in virtually all public indoor areas, the College has now determined that these regulations and procedures will be removed for the 2022-2023 academic year. 

On July 28, 2022, Interim President Beverly Daniel Tatum distributed a newsletter to the community about the new expectations in place for the upcoming semester, under which COVID-19 regulations were loosened. In the newsletter, Tatum wrote, “While we have not yet reached a point where we can officially say that COVID-19 has moved fully from a pandemic stage to an endemic one, strategies are shifting, locally, nationally and internationally, toward policies that help us live with COVID-19 as an ever-present part of our daily lives. To that end, we are aiming to return to pre-pandemic operations as much as possible, with some additional precautions in place for the launch of the semester.” 

Under these new guidelines, students were required to have a negative COVID-19 test before arriving on campus. However, weekly testing is no longer required for students throughout the school year. Instead, only those who are symptomatic may receive a test through College Health Services. Employees faced the same expectation of arriving on campus with a negative COVID-19 test, and have been asked to obtain their own tests locally. 

“I remember reading [the new guidelines] and being like — we could do better. We can do better. Why aren’t we doing better? Since then, it’s kind of become my goal, my mission, to do better because if the school can’t do it,
I can do it.”

— Soli Guzman ’24

As for masking — contrary to the Spring 2022 semester when students were required to wear masks in any non-dining, indoor public space at all times — mask mandates for this semester tentatively end on September 30, as announced by the College’s Health and Safety Committee on Sept. 14. Another change is that visitors are now welcomed back to the College at any point. All guests are asked to self assess symptoms while overnight guests must be registered and fully vaccinated. 

After reading the newsletter, students, faculty, staff, alums and parents of the Mount Holyoke community have expressed concerns about the new guidelines and their ability to keep people safe.

“I was really frustrated about it because I felt like in the past couple of years, … this was kind of a bubble that was safer,” Sophie Coyne ’24 expressed. “That was something that made me feel a lot safer … being on campus and more comfortable, at times relaxing my own [COVID-19] restrictions because I was aware of what the [COVID-19] rates on campus were like, or if the people around me were getting tested.”

For Soli Guzman ’24, the new policy did not meet the needs of vulnerable students in the College community. “I remember being extremely angry because the school is constantly saying that ‘We care about our students, we care about our trans students, we care about our disabled students’ and they pull shit like this,” Guzman stated.

Coyne feels the new policy is potentially dangerous for the health and safety of disabled and immunocompromised members of the Mount Holyoke community. “Also, generally — as somebody who is potentially immunocompromised or at least chronically ill — it’s really scary,” Coyne said. “I know for other chronically ill and disabled students on campus this can be very much a life or death thing. But also … [COVID-19] can disable anyone.”

From these concerns arose an idea to begin a petition demanding that the College return to its previous guidelines to keep the entire community safe. This petition was started by Coyne and Guzman on change.org and circulated to a variety of members of the Mount Holyoke community throughout the summer of 2022.

“I remember reading [the new guidelines] and being like — we could do better. We can do better. Why aren't we doing better?” Guzman said. “Since then, it’s kind of become my goal, my mission, to do better because if the school can’t do it, I can do it.”

Coyne expressed a similar idea as to why they chose to begin the petition. “We were like, ‘If we’re going to email [the College], it will look better if there are more people on that side.’ It also gets the word out to students who, coming into the year, weren’t thinking about how [COVID-19] might be on campus, since there is [such] broad support, at least, for testing. Also for continuing masking if there’s no testing, because people liked the peace of mind of it.”

In the introduction of the petition, Coyne and Guzman call to all students, faculty, and staff to truly think about the guidelines for the upcoming year and if they keep the community safe. The document states, “Previous relaxing of COVID-19 restrictions led to increased cases on campus, particularly toward the end of spring semester 2022, and it is deeply concerning that [COVID-19] precautions that proved effective this past year are not going to be available this upcoming semester.” 

To this extent, Coyne and Guzman asked for the reinstatement of mandatory asymptomatic testing twice a week for all students and staff, that mask mandates remain in indoor facilities — especially classrooms — to reduce the risk of the spread of airborne diseases and a call for “a more detailed action plan” on the emergent monkeypox virus.

At the commencement of the Fall 2022 semester the petition had accumulated 346 signatures. In addition, several of those who had signed it were inclined to comment on their reasoning for returning guidelines to their previous state.

“Without required asymptomatic testing it’s impossible for anyone to make informed decisions — also rendering it impossible for the College to make changes if there were (and with conditions as they are, this is very likely) a large-scale break out on campus,” an anonymous Mount Holyoke junior wrote in the comment section of the petition. “No required asymptomatic testing = no information. If no changes are made to the current plan in time for the semester to start, student, faculty and staff safety is going to be actively undermined.”

After returning to campus, the aforementioned student’s worries have only gotten worse. They described feeling like they know COVID-19 is going around campus and are scared that there is no way to know the full extent of the problem without regular testing. “As recently as this week, I’ve spoken to an RA who told me that their residents have come to them, panicking, when their roommate has [COVID-19], not knowing what else to do,” they said. “One student has even gone as far as to sleep in the common room to try and avoid infection.” 

Community members, not just those physically on campus currently, are concerned about the College’s new policies. Anneke Craig ’22 added a comment on the petition which read: “I’m a ’22 grad. Last year, MHC’s exceptional COVID policies kept me, my fellow students, and my loved ones — including immunocompromised and health care worker family members — much safer. Without the testing program and masks, my parents and sibling would not have been able to see me graduate. I urge the college to reconsider this decision and restore the testing and masking policies for this year. Protect disabled students, faculty, staff and community members now!”

Another alum, Lauren Fuller ’22, stated, “I signed the petition because I support the Mount Holyoke community, and I believe that everyone in our community deserves to access our spaces with minimal risk. I feel we have an obligation to minimize [the] risk of contracting COVID-19 wherever possible. … Mount Holyoke was the only place I lived in where I had the assurance that everyone in my community was not only masked, but tested frequently. I think it was the only place I've experienced during the pandemic where I was not very worried about contracting it.”

“Also, generally — as somebody who is potentially immunocompromised or at least chronically ill — it’s really scary. I know for other chronically ill and disabled students on campus this can be very much a life or death thing. But also ... [COVID-19] can disable anyone.”

— Sophie Coyne ’23

With the signatures and concerns from fellow students, alums, faculty and parents from the petition in mind, Conye and Guzman brought their efforts to the school’s attention in an email sent to Dean of Students Amber Douglas, Health Services, Medical Director Cheryl Flynn, the Office of the Provost and Dean of Faculty and Disability Services.

In this email, Conye and Guzman brought up the three main points in their petition, expanding their reasoning. They remarked on the impacts of relaxing guidelines last year and the effect it had on students, including an uptick in COVID-19 cases. They went on to state that students who catch COVID-19 not only will be unable to make it to class, fall behind and potentially lose academic standing, but they run the risk of passing it on to other students, especially if they are asymptomatic. In addition, both Coyne and Guzman emphasized in their email that this virus, doesn’t just affect disabled students but can cause disabilities as well, citing a Time article which states, “A study posted online in June as a preprint (meaning it had not yet been peer-reviewed) found that reinfection adds ‘non-trivial risks’ of death, hospitalization and post-COVID health conditions, on top of those accumulated from an initial SARS-CoV-2 infection. Organ failure, heart disease, neurologic conditions, diabetes and more have been linked to SARS-CoV-2 infections.” 

The anonymous student echoed this sentiment and explained that they feel unsafe as a chronically ill, high risk student. They stressed the fact that all students — including able-bodied ones — are at risk of severe health complications. “Even if one believes that they will not get severely ill if they contract [COVID-19], more and more studies are showing the incredibly dangerous, long term impacts of this disease, even [in] mild cases. … The risk of all of this is known to only increase with each repeated infection.” 

Without free testing provided by the College, Coyne and Guzman are concerned about the inaccessibility of COVID-19 tests. Pioneer Valley Transit Authority buses and shuttles are offered at times that may not align with local business hours to obtain testing. In addition, a great number of pharmacies are now prioritizing drive-thru testing, which makes it difficult for students without access to a car to get tested. Coyne and Guzman’s email also reflects on the impact that insurance may have on one’s ability to obtain a test and the effect purchasing a test would have on low-income families.

In their email, Coyne and Guzman also mentioned the effectiveness of masking, drawing attention to a Boston University study published by the American Medical Association that demonstrates the importance of masking in a classroom.

To conclude the communication, Coyne and Guzman reminded the College about the importance of providing accommodations for the students most at risk from COVID-19 and ensuring that all students feel comfortable and safe returning to the campus for another semester.

“As a school that claims to be so progressive, we should be on the forefront of protecting disabled students and protecting students from becoming disabled, potentially,” Coyne stated. “I don’t want to wait until we have a student die of it, because that would be horrific. Luckily, nothing like that has happened yet, but you shouldn’t have to be forced to walk into a classroom where you might catch a deadly illness, and none of your classmates are potentially protected from it either.”

Guzman is passionate about fighting for this issue because they have seen that other students are worried about the new policies as well.

“I think our biggest push was seeing disabled students on Instagram complaining and being like, ‘I don’t feel safe.’ On top of that, seeing people on Twitter being like, ‘This doesn’t feel good for us,’” Guzman stated. 

Speaking from personal experience, Guzman went on to point out that it is not possible to know which community members may be impacted by shifts in COVID-19 restrictions. “I’m disabled [and] I don't look it. … I already have an autoimmune disease and for me — as someone who took an entire year online — the most important thing is for me to have a normal college experience. I have worked too hard to get here and not have that.”

Although Coyne stated that they had low expectations for their email to the College, they and Guzman did receive a response from the Health and Safety Committee. In their response, the Committee stated that vaccinations are still “one of the most effective ways to limit spread and severity” of COVID-19 and to that extent, “The College will continue to require all students and employees to receive a primary COVID-19 vaccination series and one booster for the 2022–2023 academic year.” In addition to this, the email also expressed that, since the CDC changed their guidelines to reflect that an asymptomatic person who has not knowingly been exposed to COVID-19 does not need to be tested, the College would not mandate it. However, every student may obtain a test through College Health Services. 

In addition, the Committee stated that they plan to monitor Hampshire County’s COVID-19 levels and make determinations based on their statistics. Finally, if any students wish to mask, they may. Immunocompromised students can contact Disability Services to discuss any accommodations that may be made in the classroom or help them through these guideline changes. 

After receiving this email, Conye and Guzman responded again to the Health and Safety Committee asking questions for clarification such as, “Does Mount Holyoke intend to increase or create shuttle services to locations providing PCR tests?” to help lower-income students and students without their own transportation on campus; “Will Health Services be providing PCR tests or rapid antigen tests to students with symptoms?” since PCR tests are the ones that are more likely to identify COVID-19 and “We ask: why is Mount Holyoke unable to offer optional, asymptomatic testing for students who may want it? If cost is a barrier, can you give us evidence that all COVID-19 mitigation funding the College received from the government has been used?” In addition to their questions, Coyne and Guzman stated that if testing was no longer an option available this academic year, mandatory masking in classrooms is the most effective alternative proven to keep students, faculty and staff safe. 

In the final email sent by the Health and Safety Committee, they once again stated their determination to monitor cases and indicated that Health Services would be available for testing for symptomatic or recently exposed individuals, additionally stating that masking was always welcomed in the community, even if not mandatory. 

This response was not satisfactory to Coyne or Guzman.

“They responded,” Guzman stated. “They responded to us like we didn’t read their email and [like] we didn’t read the current [COVID-19] policies. … Their response was basically sending us everything [they had already sent].” 

Guzman went on to state that although the Committee cited the CDC and stated that they were going to enforce vaccinations and boosters, the College hasn’t sent out any reminders of those things, which further upset them.

“I think what was frustrating was, it felt as if they didn’t really read our email or consider what we said, particularly in the second email they sent us. It genuinely looked like they hadn’t even read what we’d written,” Coyne expressed.

Members of the College administration could not be reached for comment by Mount Holyoke News. 

Although Coyne and Guzman have not responded to the last email the Committee sent, they do not plan to stop here.

“We are now considering what other methods could be potentially [used],” Coyne stated. “Maybe going through SGA or something like that to continue to raise the concern since it’s clear that the email route isn’t really working.”

Both students feel as though student voices are not being heard under the COVID-19 guidelines and wish to keep pursuing the matter. Coyne and Guzman want to stand up not only for their concerns, but also the concerns of parents, alums, faculty and other students who do not feel able to stand up for themselves.

“I want the student body to fight for this,” Guzman finished. “My biggest worry is that we’re just [going to] give up and people are gonna get sick. … We’re saying this because we want to live, and we’re not going to be able to live without caring about other people. It’s just a simple form of humanity, and that’s why I think we need to get [testing and masking] back.”