Home away from home: The difficulty of belonging at a predominantly white institution

Home away from home: The difficulty of belonging at a predominantly white institution

Locating and attempting to recreate a “home away from home” is not a small feat for a person of color at a predominantly white institution such as Mount Holyoke College. This reality is one that many students of color must learn to overcome day by day, as the effort of bringing little pieces of home on their transcontinental and cross-country journeys to Mount Holyoke is essential to one’s identity and sense of belonging. Despite Mount Holyoke’s pride in its diverse campus, a majority of inclusion and community fostering efforts are student-led. This allows the College to effortlessly benefit off of the hard work and determination of students’ ongoing fight for inclusivity instead of reallocating funds and resources to create safe places on campus that are rich with culture and familiarity. 

How will dependency on social media influence future elections?

How will dependency on social media influence future elections?

The influence of social media and internet fads on political campaigns has become incredibly concerning. As politicians and campaign leaders focus more on algorithms, trendy audios and clickbait, they support a pandemic of misinformation and naivety. Despite its convenience and instantaneous ability to mobilize users toward advocacy and political participation, the use of social media in politics shifts its overall focus from diplomacy to performance, a change that negatively impacts our nation overall.


The Electoral College: How it works and why we should get rid of it

The Electoral College: How it works and why we should get rid of it

The Electoral College, the system used in the United States to elect the president, is one of the most confusing and convoluted parts of the American democratic system. As a democratic republic, the U.S. polity touts the power American citizens have to elect their own representatives and political officials. Yet, for some reason, this is not the case for the highest office in the entire country: the presidency. Although the Electoral College, in theory, is representative of the U.S. population’s choice for president, in actuality it perpetuates oppression and inequality, especially considering the racist and classist history of the system. In taking a closer look at the Electoral College’s history and inner workings, not only is it apparent that the system is not representative of the democratic standard the U.S. loves to brag about, but is inherently flawed in the way it represents the will of the people. 


Lack of Hispanic/Latinx foods on campus challenges Mount Holyoke’s promise of community and inclusion

Lack of Hispanic/Latinx foods on campus challenges Mount Holyoke’s promise of community and inclusion

We don’t talk enough about the alarming lack of Hispanic/Latinx foods in the Dining Commons. According to Mount Holyoke College’s enrollment data, in the fall of 2023 Hispanic/Latinx identifying students were the third biggest campus identity with 202 students, or  9.14% of the student body. Despite Hispanic and Latinx-identifying students being a solid percentage of the campus community, there is no dedicated dining station to serve them.

Kamala Harris spent the debate catering to centrists. Here’s why.

Kamala Harris spent the debate catering to centrists. Here’s why.

Following the Sept. 10 presidential debate broadcast on ABC News, many left-leaning voters were outraged at the strongly moderate or even rightward stances Vice President Kamala Harris took on many key issues. Harris debuted as a Democratic candidate who touts her gun ownership, advances plans to cut taxes and hopes to deregulate government involvement in people’s personal lives. As New York Times columnist Ross Douthat put it, Harris’ current administration is “springtime for neoliberalism,” a political approach that favors free markets and smaller governments; stances that are generally Republican pillars, not Democratic. 

We need to talk about the chaos of course registration

We need to talk about the chaos of course registration

Course registration brings on a wave of both excitement and panic for students at Mount Holyoke. Some students are thrilled to finally select classes that they have been waiting months or even years to take. Others frantically race to see what they can fit into their schedule. However, with some students receiving earlier times than others, this creates inequity.

Mount Holyoke has turned its back on two of its most dedicated employees by eliminating the tennis program

Mount Holyoke has turned its back on two of its most dedicated employees by eliminating the tennis program

When I was 16 years old, I was determined to play collegiate tennis. As I went through the recruiting process, I toured colleges and met with coaches from around the country. Despite staying open minded and assessing my options, I continuously encountered a similar obstacle: many Division III coaches did not seem completely devoted to their programs.

However, Mount Holyoke was different.

Is karma really what JoJo Siwa says it is? The painful transition from child star to adult icon

Is karma really what JoJo Siwa says it is? The painful transition from child star to adult icon

The transition from child star to adult celebrity is difficult, but this seems especially so for performers who are women. The ethics of child star performance are dubious at best, and actively harmful at worst. Many of these adolescents never get to experience common domestic environments, and they are exploited and carefully “perfected” by their producers until they are as marketable as possible, often at the expense of their personal identities and well-being. Actors such as Selena Gomez and JoJo Siwa started as child performers on television, and both have pursued their own independent music careers. However, the breakthrough from child star to adult entertainer is a brutal growing pain.

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Is modern journalism losing to clickbait?

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Is modern journalism losing to clickbait?

With many news stations relying on viewer engagement to support their newspapers, online journalism has seen an overwhelming prevalence of clickbait and paywalls, so much so that it has become the new norm for online newspapers. As journalistic standards are an expense, what happens to those who can’t afford it?

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Taking away dislikes is not enough to stop social media harassment

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Taking away dislikes is not enough to stop social media harassment

In concept, removing “dislikes” from social media platforms seems like a good idea and a practical way to reduce harassment and negativity, but it might not be in practice. In reality, this is more superficial than it seems because rampant harassment persists. While there may be no public like-to-dislike metric anymore — having since been removed on platforms like Facebook and YouTube — this change is not enough. Many times, it seems that the most that any platform does is advise members to be respectful of community guidelines, with a possibility of flagging spam comments. Due to the popularity of sharing material, moderation of sensitive material or anything that violates community guidelines is often difficult.

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What a broken bridge has taught us about anti-Blackness

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What a broken bridge has taught us about anti-Blackness

On March 26, the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland, collapsed after a container ship collided with it in a tragedy that led to six deaths. However, after a clip of the city’s mayor, Brandon M. Scott, speaking about the tragedy circulated online, users quickly began attacking him. 

Identity politics aren’t going anywhere, but political polarization might

Identity politics aren’t going anywhere, but political polarization might

It’s no secret that tensions have been consistently rising in the United States between the two political parties. One explanation often cited for this growing divide is the concept of “identity politics,” where individuals evaluate issues through the lens of their association with a specific group, such as their gender, religion, race and more.

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Dining hall of horrors: We need to be more respectful of our dining staff

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Dining hall of horrors: We need to be more respectful of our dining staff

It’s a scenario that is all too common: You finish your meal in the Dining Commons and pick up your plates and cups. As soon as you enter the dish drop-off area, you are overcome with the thick and suffocating smell of who-knows-what. With a low droning sound, the conveyor belt rattles against tipped-over cups. The sides of the belt are splattered with sauce, milk, yogurt, coffee and sticky fluids; crumpled tea bags, pieces of food, stray forks and soggy napkins litter the space. Accidents happen, but this is a disaster on its own level.

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Mount Holyoke College: the land of laptops left behind

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Mount Holyoke College: the land of laptops left behind

Mount Holyoke College is known for its friendly, welcoming student body and safe campus — but does our attitude towards “MoHome” prepare us properly for the real world? More specifically, does our approach to community let us build bad habits?

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Mount Holyoke College’s approach to artificial intelligence defies its own mission statement

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Mount Holyoke College’s approach to artificial intelligence defies its own mission statement

If Mount Holyoke College is truly concerned with making innovative, adventurous education available to its students, then why is its administration limiting our resources and refusing to adapt our academic policies as technology progresses? Artificial intelligence is a polarizing new sector of technology rife with ethical issues and questionable privacy possibilities. AI has been known to perpetuate biases, spread misinformation, collect invasive amounts of online data and lift information from existing spaces online without proper accreditation or permission. Despite this, AI is still used and experimented with — often enough that, according to a survey by BestCollege, 56% of undergraduate and graduate students admitted to using AI on their assignments or exams.

In 2024, performative activism is still trending on social media

In 2024, performative activism is still trending on social media

Over the last 20 years, social media has become a powerful force in our world. According to an analysis of survey data by Kepios, as of 2024, about 62.3% of the world uses some form of social media, amounting to 4.95 billion people. Because of its accessibility and wide reach, social media has become a method of dispensing information about a variety of topics, including the paramount social and political issues of our world. In some ways, this can do a lot of good, largely in how it can inspire previously uninformed people to learn more about various causes. However, there are many pitfalls. 

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American voters are unhappy with their Presidential candidates, so who will they choose to elect in 2024?

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American voters are unhappy with their Presidential candidates, so who will they choose to elect in 2024?

We are in the third year of President Joe Biden’s term, and the 2024 presidential election is fast approaching. We have already met the candidates for each party, and the Republican candidates have debated on national television. However, it remains uncertain who will make it onto the ballot. 

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