After the announcement of 23 fraud charges against Santos, a bipartisan vote (311-114) expelled Santos from the House of Representatives, according to CNN. This removal makes Rep. Santos only the sixth person expelled from the House of Representatives. This left a critical seat open for the narrow Republican majority. The two candidates for the seat were Republican Mazi Pilip and former New York Democratic Congressman Tom Suozzi.
On Feb. 13, Karla Youngblood, associate vice president for Facilities Management, and Carl Ries, treasurer and vice president for finance and administration, announced an update on the ongoing geothermal energy initiative here at Mount Holyoke College. This update provides some key information surrounding upcoming construction, which may impact students.
Photo courtesy of Gage Skidmore via Wikimedia Commons.
Former President Donald Trump, pictured above speaking at a rally in Phoenix, Arizona.
Bryn Healy ’24
News Editor
Former president Donald Trump was indicted by a New York grand jury on March 30, 2023, making him the first president or ex-president to be indicted for a crime. According to NBC News, Trump is expected to be arraigned in front of Justice Juan Merchan after surrendering to the Manhattan District Attorney (DA), the DA who brought the case against the president, on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. This indictment charges the former president with more than two dozen counts, according to The New York Times, including campaign finance violations connected with Trump’s hush-money payment towards pornographic film actress Stormy Daniels.
In 2016, Trump hired Michael Cohen to pay off Daniels to keep quiet about their alleged affair. Trump and his organization allegedly falsely classified the money they paid and attempted to cover the situation up according to The New York Times. The specifics of the more than two dozen charges are not known at this time.
Michael Cohen, the former president’s former lawyer, was sentenced to 3 years in prison for the same payment in 2018. At the time, according to NBC, Cohen blamed Trump and his loyalty to the man for causing him to “choose darkness over light.”
Assistant Professor of Politics Joanna Wuest explained the significance of this moment. “When Richard Nixon’s aides were indicted in 1974 and a grand jury considered indicting the president himself, it wasn’t long before the president resigned from office, essentially disappearing from national party leadership.”
“With Trump, it remains very possible that the indictment might benefit him politically on the 2024 campaign trail,” Wuest continued, “given the former president’s consistent claims that corrupt elites are attempting to stifle his so-called populist struggle for power.”
Former Vice President Mike Pence released a statement, as described by the Hill. “The unprecedented indictment of a former president of the United States on a campaign finance issue is an outrage. And it appears to millions of Americans to be nothing more than a political prosecution that’s driven by a prosecutor who literally ran for office on a pledge to indict the former president.”
“Well, we’re in uncharted waters here, and there’s still a lot we don’t know,” Adam Hilton, a Mount Holyoke assistant professor of politics, explained. “Never before has a former U.S. president been indicted on criminal charges, and the details of the charges have yet to be unsealed. But, whatever the merits of this particular case, and there are additional, likely more serious indictments pending, the indictment marks a historic turning point in American politics. Even before the Trump presidency, the U.S. constitutional regime has been beset by rule-bending and norm-breaking behavior. Now, another norm has been broken. What we don’t know yet is whether this breach of tradition will further erode the stability of our democracy or potentially help strengthen it.”
Trump’s attorneys released a statement announcing that they plan to fight the indictment in court. The former president, according to The Guardian, is still under three other legal investigations and a defamation trial. Being indicted has no impact on Trump’s ability to run in the 2024 presidential election as a candidate.
Schalk began her presentation with the cover of the May 7, 1977, edition of the Black Panther Party’s newspaper, The Black Panther. It read, “handicapped win demands — end HEW occupation.” Schalk explained that cover stories, like this one, are kept for the most important issues at that moment, showing that the Party believed this sit-in to be a critically important issue directly connected to their work.
An Arizona legal group has sued a Texas agency for its approval of the abortion drug mifepristone. Photo courtesy of Jonathon Cutrer via Flickr.
Bryn Healy ’24 and Tara Monastesse ’25
News Editors
An ongoing lawsuit in Texas could potentially restrict nationwide access to the abortifacient drug mifepristone.
Alliance Defending Freedom, an Arizona conservative Christian legal group, sued the Food and Drug Administration in Amarillo, Texas, in an attempt to undo the agency’s approval of the abortion drug mifepristone, according to the Texas Tribune. The ADF, which defines itself as “the world’s largest legal organization committed to protecting religious freedom, free speech, the sanctity of life, parental rights and God’s design for marriage and family” per its website, was also a key player in overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022. The ADF is bringing the case to court on behalf of four doctors and four anti-choice organizations, according to the Texas Tribune.
The judge hearing the case is conservative Trump-appointee U.S. District Court Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk. Senator Dianne Feinstein, according to Ms. Magazine, described Kacsmaryk as “an anti-LGBT activist and culture warrior who does not respect the equal dignity of all people.” The Ms. article asserts that the ADF purposely chose to file suit in Amarillo in order to have Kacsmaryk rule on the case. If Judge Kacsmaryk or a higher court, in this case, the conservative Fifth Court of Appeals, rules against the drug, it could be banned in all 50 states.
The drug in question, mifepristone, was first approved by the FDA in 2000. It is used alongside misoprostol to terminate a pregnancy, according to the National Library of Medicine. It is also used for treating Cushing’s syndrome and uterine leiomyomas. Mifepristone works by blocking the pregnancy hormone progesterone and also stopping the inner uterine lining from preparing for ovum implantation. Additionally, the drug induces menstrual bleeding and further endometrial thickening to end a pregnancy.
“If the judge rules the FDA should ban mifepristone we are having the courts supersede what a science-based agency has decided,” Associate Professor of Politics Cora Fernandez Anderson stated. “For abortion, it will obviously pose challenges, but not insurmountable. One thing that not many people are talking about in the U.S. is that even if mifepristone is banned, misoprostol alone has a high rate of success, around [85 to 89 percent]. This is how most safe but illegal abortions happen in those countries with current bans since mifepristone is not available, and there are studies that show it’s completely safe. The WHO recommends both misoprostol alone or its combination with mifepristone for a safe self-managed abortion. So obviously we do not want mifepristone banned, but it is good to look to countries in which self-managed abortion has been happening with misoprostol alone for a while and know that this is safe and it will still be an option.”
“The side effects of misoprostol, especially at a higher dosage, are kind of intense,” Carrie N. Baker, Sylvia Dlugasch Bauman professor of American studies at Smith College and professor of the study of women and gender, said in an interview with Mount Holyoke News. “That said, people who get pregnant use it all around the world in countries where abortion is illegal, and as long as they are well-supported, it’s very effective, and it works. Obviously, people should have access to the best medication, but we’re in a situation here where anti-abortion people are trying to ban pills. It’s important that people know about misoprostol … it’s a widely available drug, and it’s much cheaper [than mifepristone]. It’s a good alternative in a situation where mifepristone is not available.”
Professor Baker described Massachusetts’s current access to abortion medication as “widespread,” noting that the online directory provided by Plan C, a public health campaign, is a useful resource for obtaining information regarding the availability of abortion access by state.
A regimen of mifepristone and misoprostol now comprises over 50 percent of abortions in the U.S., per the Texas Tribune. “Mifepristone is also used for incomplete miscarriages” according to Fernandez Anderson. The other uses of the drug are being elevated by advocates and legislators because “if there are other uses this would make the ban harder.”
An amicus brief was filed on Feb. 10 by the attorney generals of 22 states, including Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, in opposition to the demands requested by the ADF in the mifepristone lawsuit.
“Each of the amici [s]tates has an important interest in protecting the health, safety and rights of its residents, including an interest in ensuring safe access to essential reproductive health care. The continued availability of mifepristone for medication abortions is critical to safeguarding that interest,” the document’s introduction reads. Fernandez Anderson said it’s hard to know if this will have any impact on the ruling.
A press release by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, part of the coalition that filed the brief, writes that “[t]he availability of mifepristone has been particularly critical in providing access to abortion and miscarriage management in low-income, underserved and rural communities.
The coalition also asserts that revoking the FDA approval of mifepristone would force millions to seek more invasive and expensive procedural abortions, which would disproportionately harm those who already lack access to health care.”
“The Texas Attorney General’s efforts will please more than just anti-abortion advocates,” Assistant Professor of Politics Joanna Wuest explains. “Like many other lawsuits filed by conservative attorneys general, the larger aim is to limit the federal bureaucracy from regulating everything from healthcare to air pollution to finance. This specific case deals with the FDA’s ability to ensure access to safe and necessary medications, but the underlying legal arguments benefit Paxton’s donors in the oil industry who seek to similarly limit the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) power over fossil fuel production. Last year, the Supreme Court’s decision in West Virginia v. EPA (2022) — which severely hampered the agency’s ability to clamp down on coal emissions — demonstrated how willing the conservative justices are to help Paxton and others realize this anti-regulatory goal.”
Additional time has been allotted to the plaintiffs to allow them to respond to a brief filed by the drug’s manufacturer, according to NPR. When the deadline expires on Feb. 24, Judge Kacsmaryk is expected to either make a decision in the case or schedule a hearing.
Sarah Bell '25, Qiana Pierre '25, Sydney Williams '23 and Wil Abam-DePass '23 help with event. Photo courtesy of Annmarie Murdzia.
By Tara Monastesse ’25 and Bryn Healy ’24
News Editor | Staff Writer
On the evening of Friday, Feb. 2, the opening ceremony for Mount Holyoke’s observation of Black History Month was held in Blanchard Hall’s Great Room. After a land acknowledgement by Associate Dean of Students, Community and Belonging Latrina Denson, student representatives from various Black student organizations on campus welcomed attendees to the ceremony. Gathered around confetti-strewn tables lit with flickering candles, attendees listened to presentations on Black culture and history in the United States, as well as a summary of events that will be hosted by the College and Black student organizations throughout February.
Following introductions, attendees stood for a recorded performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” also known as the Black national anthem. The song, originally adapted from the 1900 poem of the same name by former NAACP leader James Weldon Johnson, was described as a “rallying cry during the Civil Rights movement” by the NAACP.
The theme for Black History Month at Mount Holyoke this year is “_____ and Beauty,” with the blank being filled in with a new word for each week of programming: History and Beauty, Intersectionality and Beauty, Black Voices and Beauty and Blackness and Beauty. The presenters explained that the theme gets its name from the phrase “Black is beautiful,” popularized in the 1960s and 70s as an activist slogan. The catalyst for the Black is Beautiful movement was Kwame Brathwaite’s fashion show in 1962. The show highlighted Grandassa Models who refused to follow Western beauty standards and were followers of Marcus Garvey’s African Nationalist Pioneer Movement.
“We were able to come up with something that exemplified how people may define themselves, specifically Black individuals, [and] what beauty means to them, and what Black beauty means to them,” Wil Abam-DePass ’23, co-chair of the Association of Pan-African Unity, said in an interview with Mount Holyoke News. “Which is why we left the first part of the line open, because there’s so many different ways. And beauty doesn’t just mean appearance — it can also mean there’s beauty in education, there’s beauty in acceptance, there’s beauty in diversity, there’s beauty in justice — different things.”
The students then gave a brief presentation on the history of Black History Month, describing how it began as a week designated by historian Carter G. Woodson and the Association for the Study of African American Life and History in 1926 to be celebrated during the second week of February. According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, Woodson and the ASALH chose February as it was the birth month of Fredrick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. Black students in the 1960s began to observe Black History Month on their college campuses, a practice which escalated to national prominence upon being officially recognized by President Gerald Ford in 1976.
Presenters also discussed the history of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, a group of African American fraternities and sororities commonly referred to as the Divine Nine. According to their website, the National Pan-Hellenic Council was founded at Howard University, a Historically Black University, in 1930 by “Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity.” The current nine members of the council describe their core goals as community action and awareness.
Toni-Ann Williams ’23, president of the Pi Iota chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc, described her relationship to the group, saying, “[it] holds a lot of weight in my life … it’s a dream come true.” Williams also announced Pi Iota’s upcoming “Galentines” day event to be hosted on Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. at University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Malcolm X Cultural Center, an event described by the Pi Iota Instagram as “a love-centered event filled with discussions, vision board making and light refreshments.”
A list of events planned to celebrate Black History Month at Mount Holyoke throughout February was presented, which includes over a dozen events, features film screenings, author readings, educational panels and more. Some of these events include a screening and discussion of the 2015 documentary “Too Black to be French?” on Feb. 15 at 6:30 p.m. in the Unity Center, and a panel entitled “A Journey of Poetry, Love and Authenticity with Poet Lynette Johnson” to be held on Feb. 24 at 6:30 p.m. in the Betty Shabazz Community Room. A four-part weekly series watching and discussing the docuseries “Hair Tales” will happen in the Betty Shabazz Cultural Center every Monday this month. Students who sign up for “Hair Tales” discussions are eligible for $50 off with an MHC student stylist. The Anthropology, English and Africana Studies Departments and the Nexus in Museums, Archives and Public History are co-sponsoring a virtual reading with author André Le Mont Wilson on Feb. 20 at 7:30 p.m.
The opening ceremony concluded with a reception, where speakers and attendees socialized and enjoyed refreshments. The College’s programming for Black History Month will conclude with a Black History Gala on Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. in Chapin Auditorium, as well as a closing ceremony on Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. in Gamble Auditorium.
Editor’s note: Sarah Bell ’25, present in the photo, is a member of Mount Holyoke News.
When students returned to campus on the weekend of Jan. 21, they were greeted by large piles of dirt and a wire fence with signs warning of danger surrounding a pit in the ground at the center of Skinner Green. Facilities Management began this excavation process due to a leak in the steam line that runs beneath the green. Throughout the day, workers were seen driving a van back and forth with supplies over pads placed on top of the Green’s muddy surface. At the end of January, the center of the excavation site contains two thin pipes, one green and one gray, overlapping a much thicker pipe and a blue rod sticking into one of the tubes.
