Liz Lewis
News Editor
News
Mount Holyoke will begin the spring 2022 semester with two weeks of remote learning, according to a Jan. 13 letter to the community from President Sonya Stephens. The period of remote teaching and learning will take place from Jan. 24 to Feb. 5, with in-person classes resuming on Monday, Feb. 7.
“I blink, and I still see my reflection in the mirror with a [Nazi] swastika on it,” a Jewish resident of 1837 Hall said. On Oct. 6, the student came face to face with the hate symbol while on a routine trip to the single stall bathroom on the third floor of 1837. The room, as they described it, was a pleasant “safe haven.” But while washing their hands, they looked up to see a “line” drawn on the mirror. At first, they were confused.
Ailey Rivkin FP ’22 and Gaby Barber ’23 began circulating a petition to reverse the College’s decision to raise tuition by $5,520 on the morning of Wednesday, April 7. As the authors of the petition, Barber and Rivkin wrote, “We … find it unacceptable that Mount Holyoke College has chosen, in the midst of a global pandemic, to raise the comprehensive fee — which consists of room and board, tuition, and the student activities fee — to $73,098.”
On March 22, graduating students and their families received an email informing them that the College would be holding a virtual Commencement ceremony for the class of 2021 on May 23 at 10:30 a.m. EDT. The email explained that while some celebrations and traditions would occur between May 12 and May 15 and would be open to students living on and off campus, no graduating students would be permitted to be on campus during the May 23 Commencement ceremony.
The Frances Perkins Monologues, like all events nowadays, looked different this year. According to Niki Haswell FP ’22, this annual showcase of writing, art and stories from the Mount Holyoke community’s nontraditional-aged students felt different, too.
Dr. Kathleen Hicks ’91 recently solidified her place among Mount Holyoke alumni to be appointed to a leadership position in the federal government. On Feb. 9, 2021, Hicks was sworn in as the 35th deputy secretary of defense. She is the first woman to serve in this position.
On the evening of Wednesday, Dec. 9, the College sent out an email containing updates on the plans for Commencement and reunion 2021. With a vaccine seemingly on the way, plans may change depending on how the COVID-19 pandemic develops over the coming months. However, as COVID-19 restrictions on outdoor gatherings continue to tighten in the state of Massachusetts, an official decision on the class of 2021’s commencement ceremony has yet to be made. Over the following months, the College will continue to monitor the state of the pandemic and inform decisions based on the safety guidelines regarding in-person gatherings and travel. An official decision about Commencement 2021 will be announced by the end of this February.
The University of Southern California launched the Liberal Arts Colleges Racial Equity Leadership Alliance, the newest project of their Race and Equity Center, this week. Mount Holyoke College joined LACRELA as an inaugural member.
Mount Holyoke joined 51 other liberal arts colleges across the United States in being named an inaugural member institution. Six colleges, in particular, were named founding institutions, including Macalester College, Depauw University, Oberlin College, Occidental College, Pomona College and Skidmore College. The 51 institutions identified as inaugural members alongside Mount Holyoke include other schools of similar size, structure or endowment, such as Wellesley College, St. Olaf College, Grinnell College and Bard College.
On the final afternoon of Module 1, the student body received an email announcing the immediate beginning of a “24-Hour 2020 Mountain Day Experience.”
“It’s noon in South Hadley, 4 p.m. in Accra, 5 p.m. in London, 10 p.m. in New Delhi and midnight in Beijing,” read the email from College President Sonya Stephens. “This year’s Mountain Day is a 24 hour, self-directed and physically distanced adventure that begins for students once you’ve finished your Module 1 assignments and exams today, and goes from 4 till 4 EST.”
On Monday, Sept. 7, a group of Trump supporters participated in a “Back the Blue” pro-police demonstration in front of the South Hadley Village Commons. The event, advertised on Facebook and hosted by Dianna Ploss, whose Facebook profile indicates she is a former Massachusetts deputy state campaign director for Donald J. Trump for President, garnered pushback from Mount Holyoke College students.
Students and members of the surrounding community gathered with signs and songs on Sunday afternoon to raise awareness about the climate crisis. The group of about 15, stood on the green across from Chapin Auditorium holding signs which encouraged climate activism, shamed oil companies and promoted campus divestment. The signs included a massive banner, which read, “GREEN NEW DEAL.”
Mayor of Holyoke Alex Morse visited the Mount Holyoke College Democrats on Sunday, Nov. 3.
Smith College recently committed to completely divest from the fossil fuel industry in the next 15 years, a major step towards sustainability on their campus.
As the bells rang to signal Mountain Day on Oct. 1, there was a flurry of controversy among students and alums, as the annual tradition fell on the second day of the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashanah.
Students protested outside the front steps of Blanchard Campus Center on Friday in support of climate justice, both in the Mount Holyoke community and worldwide.
Hampshire College continues its grapple with serious internal administrative and financial issues. Hampshire’s dire financial situation sparked conversations about whether or not to admit a new class in Fall 2019.
BY LIZ LEWIS ‘22
“Lindsay was like a ray of sunshine brightening whatever room she stepped into,” said mathematics professor Giuliana Davidoff.
BY LIZ LEWIS ’22
Former Mount Holyoke staff member Sean Mulveyhill, according to a Boston Globe article published on April 11, is facing allegations of sexual assault against a Mount Holyoke student. He was fired from his position in Dining Services on March 22 after being placed on administrative leave for several weeks.
BY LIZ LEWIS ’22
Campus sustainability, particularly when it comes to food, has been a topic of discussion in the Mount Holyoke community for years. In the past few weeks, the topic of food waste has been widely discussed on campus. This recent effort to raise awareness is student-led, and included a film screening of “Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story.”
BY LIZ LEWIS ’22
The results of the all-campus spring elections were announced on Thursday, March 28, when Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Student Programs Alicia Erwin sent out an email announcing the newly elected Class Board members. In her email, Erwin wrote, “The intent to run form for those positions not filled during the first election process is also now open! We encourage you to consider running for one of the SGA and Class Board positions that were not filled.” Voting was conducted via online polls, which opened on March 19 at 9 p.m. following that night’s “Meet the Candidates” event and closed on March 25 at 11:59 p.m.
BY LIZ LEWIS ’22
The Blanchard Great Room hosted tension and tears on the evening of Thursday, March 19, as members of the Mount Holyoke administration held a forum for students to engage with the newly hired Chief of Campus Police, Daniel Hect.
BY LIZ LEWIS ’22
“Look us in the eyes,” read a massive sign held by young activists on the steps of the Springfield District Court on Tuesday, Feb. 26. According to the Daily Hampshire Gazette, “over 50 individuals, most of them young students, stood outside of U.S. Rep. Richard Neal’s (D-MA) Springfield office [...] chanting ‘Green New Deal, come on Neal!’” The youth activists rallied to push Neal to co-sponsor the Green New Deal Resolution.
BY LIZ LEWIS ’22
“This is an effort by the Mount Holyoke community to address some of the most pressing political issues in the world today,” said Visiting Lecturer of Politics Adam Hilton as he introduced the faculty panel at the event “A World Unraveling: A Conversation in Politics” on Feb. 26, 2019.
BY LIZ LEWIS ’22
In the digital age, many aspects of daily life are consistently being updated, remodeled and improved, often for the sake of increasing a person’s options. Transportation has transformed rapidly in both nature and scope over the last few decades. As companies like Uber and Lyft grow, the health of public transportation may fall further into jeopardy.
BY LIZ LEWIS ’22
An email sent out by the office of President Sonya Stephens sparked controversy last week as the community was informed that by June 2020, Mount Holyoke will be a 100 percent smoke-free campus.
BY LIZ LEWIS ’22
At the new Shiru Cafe in Amherst, MA, any college student can enjoy a fresh cup of hot coffee for the unbeatable price of zero dollars. But there’s a catch: instead of paying with cash, you pay with personal information.
BY LIZ LEWIS ’22
The final Senate meeting of the fall semester began with cheerful chatter and cookies, and quickly moved into a discussion with dining staff representatives Mike Helm, Chris Kostek and Richard Perna. Helm is a chef from the Cochary Pub & Kitchen, Kostek is a chef from the Classics section of the Dining Commons and Perna is the Director of Dining Services.
“I might be loud and vibrant and outspoken. However, that does not give you the right to put up hate signs against me,” an anonymous resident of 1837 said. The student, a member of the Jewish community, was the repeated target of antisemitic graffiti at Mount Holyoke College in fall 2021.
As previously reported by Mount Holyoke News, a Nazi swastika was found drawn on the mirror of the single stall bathroom on the third floor of 1837 Hall on Oct. 6. Since then, two further incidents of antisemitic vandalism have occurred on this floor, all explicitly targeting this student.