South Hadley’s Nate Therien has been an academic his entire life. But, after recent retirement, he has decided to try his hand at an elected position on the town’s Planning Board. He is running unopposed as a write-in, and exudes the confidence that one might expect from someone nearly guaranteed a position. Nevertheless, he continues to drive home his goals and plans for the town.
Learning Living Communities (LLCs) are a unique asset to Mount Holyoke residential life, and aim to provide support and community bonding between students on campus. They “provide opportunities for students who share common educational, social or co-curricular interests to live together in residence halls ... [and] explore their passions with a cohort of students,” according to the Mount Holyoke College website.
The difficulties science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) majors face, including courses with time-consuming labs and problem sets, have been long subjected to debate from students and faculty. This debate includes how much is being assigned and how many credits such courses should be worth.
Leading up to Valentine’s Day, professor of dance Charles Flachs was in his office finishing a day’s work, while his wife, professor of dance Rose Flachs was at home, feeling under the weather. Illnesses have been sweeping throughout campus this February, but despite the stress and sneezing, the professors still found time to share their love story.
Last month, Missouri State House Representative Ben Baker introduced the Parental Oversight of Public Libraries Act, or House Bill 2044. The bill states that “no public library shall receive any state aid under this section if such library allows minors to access age-inappropriate sexual materials.”
The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) has rewarded Jessica Maier, an Art History professor at Mount Holyoke, a fellowship for her work. The NEH is an independent federal agency that provides grants to various institutions and scholars for works of great importance in the humanities. Submitted proposals are subject to independent review.
Students and faculty milled around the lobby of the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum on Wednesday, Jan. 29, as poems and soft music played from a speaker. Some gathered around a table filled with snacks while others looked at the different exhibits lining the walls. Still, others wrote on sticky notes, either describing their own version of the apocalypse or sharing bits of hope on another section of the wall.
On Nov. 13, 2019, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation announced that the proposed expansion of deer hunting to Quabbin Park in Belchertown, Massachusetts would be cancelled. The press release cited a need of further research. The Pioneer Valley is no stranger to controversy around the expansion of hunting in the area. The argument remains as to whether the hunting of deer should be expanded to more land or less, and how necessary the hunting of deer is for the environment.
Shakti, a program started in 2016 following the interim President Sonya Stephens’ trip to India in 2014, is a two-day conference which occurs every summer. Created through a collaboration between the Office of Admission and the individual alumnae, Shoba Narayan ’87, Vijaya Pastala ’89 and Gayatri Rangachari Shah ’94, the program aims to inspire confidence and leadership skills of 11th and 12th grade girls in India.
A week ago, I opened up my laptop and waited for Facebook to load. As posts popped up on my screen, I began to laugh. My friends looked over to see what meme or status update I found so funny; instead, they found me scrolling through updates of my friends at home marking themselves safe from various wildfires. Of course, I don’t find the destruction of my state funny. But to me, there was something disturbingly humorous about opening a page, expecting it to be filled with lighthearted content and instead finding reminder upon reminder that climate change was once again showing its ugly face back at home.
Over the past weeks, students at Mount Holyoke have received emails from members of the Residential Life staff about upcoming health and safety room checks. The emails included basic time and date information, as well as a lengthy list of items not allowed in the residence halls or apartments. Inspections took place between Nov. 7 and Nov. 15.
In spring 2019, the film studies and theatre arts departments announced a tentative merger to create a new major. Faculty and students gathered to discuss concerns with the majors and ideas for a new path of study. This semester, the two departments announced that the plan is in the works and awaiting final approval from the faculty board.
