Gun violence needs to be controlled by legislature

BY NAIEKA RAJ ’19

Gun violence tragedies have claimed the lives of thousands of innocent civilians over the years, deaths that could have been easily prevented with some basic legislation. According to the Brady Campaign, around 17,012 American children and teens are shot in murders, assaults, suicides, unintentional shootings or by police intervention every year. Every new tragedy stirs the pot but soon we move past the issue and continue with our daily lives, isolating the subject until another, seemingly inevitable, attack takes place. The Gun Violence Archive updates its records on daily mass shootings, projecting the bleak social condition of this country. 

Letter to the Editor

Stella Elwood ’19

After reading last week’s piece about the Animal Welfare Association’s chalk campaign, I noticed that the article didn’t mention that the organization also wrote, “Make veganism an intersectional movement.” As animal rights activists, we acknowledge and attempt to avoid problematic tactics that many other groups employ to convey their message. However, we also call attention to sensitive and complicated topics, since animal rights intersect with many other issues.

Mount Holyoke must acknowledge and understand the violent legacy that made alums say #MeToo

Mount Holyoke must acknowledge and understand the violent legacy that made alums say #MeToo

BY CHLOE JENSEN ’20

Many Mount Holyoke alums have been sharing their stories of sexual harassment at Mount Holyoke in Facebook alumni groups in response to the #MeToo social media movement. While the details of these stories range, their message remains the same: Mount Holyoke did not do enough to support students who came forward with accusations, or to prevent the attacks in the first place. In many ways, Mount Holyoke supports its students and alumni, however it also glosses over its dirty history of sexual harassment. 

Animal Welfare Association’s chalk messages use toxic rhetoric

Animal Welfare Association’s chalk messages use toxic rhetoric

BY CHLOE JENSEN ’20

Last Thursday, the Animal Welfare Association drew chalk signs with messages such as “#PlannedPetParenthood” and “Animal liberation = human liberation.” These messages imply that somehow, if we collectively stop mistreating livestock in factory farms and pets in animal shelters, that humans too will be free of the many inequalities among us. 

Online movements should focus on assailants, not assaulted

Online movements should focus on assailants, not assaulted

BY LILY REAVIS ’21

Campaigns aimed at raising awareness of the common female experience of sexual harassment and assault have become increasingly visible in the past 30 years. Anita Hill’s 1991 testimony against Clarence Thomas originally opened the floor for survivors to speak out, and that sentiment has been growing since. The #YesAllWomen and #WhatWereYouWearing hashtags trended on Twitter in the past few years, along with many others. Most recently, the #MeToo campaign has gone viral in response to allegations, with CBS News reporting 1.7 million retweets as of Tuesday.

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Haute Cuisine Hot-Takes: Meat Night

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Haute Cuisine Hot-Takes: Meat Night

BY SARAH PAUST ’20

Dairy and meat days at Wilder each have their benefits and drawbacks, but what if you had to choose between the two? Overall, dairy days are widely-regarded as the best due to their popular dishes. However, meat days are the unsung hero of dining halls, and deserve higher status. 

Elite colleges need to acknowledge their contributions to stress culture

Elite colleges need to acknowledge their contributions to stress culture

BY JULIA SIENKIEWICZ ’20

My pre-Mount Holyoke life story is, I imagine, much like many of my fellow students. I came from an affluent, pressure-cooker high school that offered all the AP exams and churned out future Ivy League graduates. I participated in the rat race of applying to 13 top-tier schools and I agonized over whether the schools that accepted me would like me enough to award a scholarship. This sense of competition is socialized into us at a young age: personally, I planned my high school class schedule in seventh grade, and I was signed up for a wide range of activities in the hopes that I would distinguish myself in at least one of them.

Boy Scouts’ new policy overshadows the value of Girl Scouts

Boy Scouts’ new policy overshadows the value of Girl Scouts

BY JULIA SIENKIEWICZ '20

I’m very restrained in my emotions; I don’t cry often, maybe once or twice a month. The night following the Boy Scouts’ decision to let girls in, I made the mistake of reading too many awful articles, and seeing far too many of the comments. I wept for an hour; seeing how many people fail to understand the mission of Girl Scouts and the positive impact it has on its members made me feel like all I’d learned from my 13 years of scouting was meaningless. 

Kneeling is an important form of racial protest

Kneeling is an important form of racial protest

BY JOURNEY MARTIN '21

What does it mean to be American? As a black American woman, this is something I constantly ask myself. We celebrate our independence on July 4, when the 13 colonies claimed independence in 1776 from England. We celebrate by dressing up in our national flag’s colors and watching fireworks at the end of the night. However, how does this day represent independence for black Americans when we were still enslaved during this time? 

At Mount Holyoke, biphobia is the norm

At Mount Holyoke, biphobia is the norm

BY LILY REAVIS

Being bisexual at Mount Holyoke is an experience of conditional acceptance. It’s an invitation to a meeting where you’re not allowed to speak. Comments from community members frequently discredit bisexuality, even though the intention is often to create a more supportive environment. 

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Haute Cuisine Hot-Takes:

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Haute Cuisine Hot-Takes:

BY SARAH PAUST ’20

Pasta E Basta is a quaint Italian restaurant located on Main Street in downtown Amherst. It has two dining options: you can enjoy a sit-down meal with typical service upstairs, accessible via a windy staircase; or peruse the (downstairs) counter-service if you’re in a rush. I visited on a lazy Sunday evening with my friend, Mary Di Buono ’20, and we decided to sit upstairs in order to take advantage of the more leisurely setting.

Nutrition information protects our most vulnerable

Nutrition information protects our most vulnerable

BY LILY REAVIS ’21

The other day, I decided to test out the College’s Dining Services website, which lists the nutritional information for each meal served on campus. I’d picked up Indian dal for lunch, and wanted to know what was in it. During my search, I discovered that the nutritional information available online is difficult to find and often false.

Relationship status does not affect worth

BY NAIEKA RAJ ’19

If you have ever come across a vapid, face-palm-worthy, pseudo-inspirational article on Facebook shared by one of your insufferable relatives, then you should know that, as millennials, we are incapable of meeting the exceptional standards set by our predecessors — especially when it comes to maintaining successful relationships. 

Saving the environment starts by not leaving your Blanch takeout on Skinner Green

Saving the environment starts by not leaving your Blanch takeout on Skinner Green

EILEEN O’GRADY ’18

Last Monday night as I walked the darkened path from Blanchard to Creighton Hall, I decided to count the pieces of litter that I saw on the ground along the way. I assumed that I would see some, but I didn’t ever imagine I would see the amount of litter that I did — plastic spoons, trampled plastic bags, dirty hand wipes, candy wrappers, paper towels, cigarette butts and an entire half-eaten paper bag full of Blanchard popcorn, just sitting on the ground beside the sidewalk.

Hefner should not be idolized for his minor activism and objectification of women

Hefner should not be idolized for his minor activism and objectification of women

BY CHLOE JENSEN ’20

After the death of Playboy Enterprises owner and founder, Hugh Hefner this past week, many people said he should be acknowledged for his advocacy of the early feminist and LGBTQ rights movement. However, despite his early efforts to normalize LGBTQ people and the feminist movement, his support was built on the premise of profit rather than the movements themselves. Hugh Hefner is absolutely not the LGBTQ supporter or feminist icon that we need, and his exploitation and objectification of women makes that clear. 

Title IX rescindment further silences victims

Title IX rescindment further silences victims

BY LILY REAVIS ’21

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced that her department is formally rescinding Obama-era guidance on how college campuses should handle sexual assaults under the Title IX law on Sept. 22. This decision effectively silences sexual assault victims, protects perpetrators and creates a community of silence on college campuses. 

MHC’s body-positivity movement is hypocritical

MHC’s body-positivity movement is hypocritical

BY NAIEKA RAJ ’19

As the body-positivity movement advances through the Mount Holyoke College community, more and more questions surrounding the authenticity of these words are raised each day. With a large number of Lena Dunham-type “free-spirited” students roaming the campus and dominating the social scene, one would expect attitudes of self-love and appreciation to prevail just as confidently. Sadly, this is not the case and feelings of self-hate and struggles to meet conventional beauty standards continue to plague our daily existence. Although self care and body-positivity can be helpful, its language can be convoluted and not accessible to all. 

Healthy coping mechanisms aren’t neurotypical

Healthy coping mechanisms aren’t neurotypical

BY CHLOE JENSEN ’20

When you’re struggling with depression or anxiety, it is very acceptable to passively deal with it through a slew of unhealthy coping mechanisms: binge-drinking every weekend, smoking cigarettes, developing eating disorders and self-harm, to name just a few. While students are struggling with their mental health, it is very socially acceptable for them to engage in gluttonous behavior while completely disregarding healthy and productive coping mechanisms and labeling them as “neurotypical.” This is toxic and maintains the attitude that healthy, self-care activities are only for non-mentally ill people.

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