This year marks the 10th anniversary of Mount Holyoke College’s historic gender-inclusive admissions policy. At convocation on Sept. 2, 2014, former President Lynn Pasquerella welcomed in the school year with the official announcement of the policy, making the College the second historically women’s institution to formally open its doors to female, transgender and nonbinary applicants.
Mount Holyoke College’s Student Government Association opened its senate meeting on Feb. 13 with the Mount Holyoke College Land Acknowledgement, emphasizing the importance of learning about local Indigenous nations.
Afterwards, Vice President for College Relations Kassandra Jolley and Vice President for Finance and Administration and Treasurer Carl Ries were welcomed on stage to present information about financial aid and the College’s budget.
As the second semester of the 2023-2024 school year starts to pick up speed, President Danielle R. Holley has started teaching her first class, titled The Supreme Court, in the politics department at Mount Holyoke College. The course focuses on landmark cases settled by the Supreme Court of the United States since 1803.
On Feb. 2, 2024, the Mount Holyoke College Queer Action Collective, also known as QAC, hosted an event titled “Queer Activism at MHC Through the Years” to inform students of the history of queer activism at Mount Holyoke. At this event, QAC produced a presentation, facilitated discussion amongst participants, and invited Mount Holyoke alum Donna Albino ‘83 to speak on her experiences.
Student Government Association Senate opened on Feb. 6, 2024, with the reading of the agenda and the Mount Holyoke College Land Acknowledgement. Then, the senate leaders discussed the Mohegan Nation as a part of their pledge this year to go beyond the land acknowledgment and educate themselves and the community on local Native nations.
The Mount Holyoke College Board of Trustee’s decision to significantly raise its cost of attendance for the 2023-2024 school year has inspired renewed conversations about how financial aid is calculated at the institution. Mount Holyoke News reached out to current students, staff members, parents and former students who transferred to other institutions, citing financial struggles as a significant factor in their decision to continue their studies elsewhere, to learn more about financial aid processes at Mount Holyoke College. Mount Holyoke News also spoke with several individuals who have interacted with Student Financial Services to understand better how the office responds to federal financial aid policies, which factors determine how much aid a student receives, and how the appeals process operates.
The discovery of anti-Black vandalism in a Mount Holyoke College residence hall at the beginning of the November Break period has prompted an investigation by the College. Around midnight on Nov. 22, residents on the third floor of Pearsons Hall found a racist message scrawled across a community bulletin board. The hate message reading “no [N-word]s” expressed that Black students are not welcome at Mount Holyoke.
