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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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Letter to the Editor: some advice from The Honk to Mount Holyoke News

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Beneath the grand, expansive conifer tree located behind Creighton Residence Hall, The Honk's editorial board convened to commune with nature, and an explosive and previously unknown publication that claimed to be called the Mount Holyoke News was recovered from the forest floor. 

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Letter to the Editor: MHC faculty call for ceasefire in Gaza

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“We, the undersigned faculty members of Mount Holyoke College, join our colleagues from other institutions of higher education to call on college and university leaders to take a stand against state-sanctioned systematic violence against Palestinians. We call on President Danielle R. Holley to urge legislators to implement an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.”

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Bookworms, keep calm: Dystopian YA has returned

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Bookworms, keep calm: Dystopian YA has returned

Maybe you spent countless hours scouring YouTube for the most recent compilation video of Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson, either in press interviews or sorrowful “Hunger Games” edits set against the song “Just A Game” by Birdy. Or, if you felt a need to categorize yourself with a fictional group as the basis of your prepubescent personality, perhaps you took the same “Divergent” faction quiz multiple times until “Dauntless” shined through your laptop screen, hidden under the covers on a school night.

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Letter to the Editor: Anti-Zionism does not equal antisemitism

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I am writing in response to the front page article titled “Report of antisemitic incidents leads to investigation,” which was written by Emily Tarinelli and published in print on Nov. 10. The article reported on a visiting alum’s finding of the phrase “zionists not welcome here” written on a chalkboard in Clapp Hall, which the alum then reported to President [Danielle R.] Holley on the grounds that it did not make the alum feel welcome and she would “not be back.” I am writing to argue a necessary differing perspective of this event.

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“Before and after” weight loss content is problematic

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“Before and after” weight loss content is problematic

Saying that TikTok promotes an unhealthy standard for young women and their body image is about as uncontroversial a take as you can get. Between videos touting buccal fat removal surgery and recommending Botox™ injections for teenagers, the platform is rife with content that could leave even the most conventionally attractive person in shambles after just a cursory scroll of their For You page. However, a special kind of damage is dealt by a prolific genre of “glow-up” videos: ones that show people, nearly always women, in a “before” and “after” side-by-side of their weight loss journeys.

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The Hollywood labor strikes are over, but what has changed?

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The Hollywood labor strikes are over, but what has changed?

The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists strike recently came to an end after 118 days, with actors celebrating the prospect of returning to work. The union came to a historic deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, with the largest increase in minimum wage in 40 years, according to The Washington Post. However, because the deal is so new, it remains to be seen if it will be honored and if actual change will occur in the industry.

Instagram’s algorithm undermines smaller creators

Instagram’s algorithm undermines smaller creators

For a platform that markets itself on building connections and sparking inspiration, Instagram isolates and exhausts its smallest and most vulnerable creators. 

By destroying the visibility needed to survive on the platform by demanding that users follow trends just to be seen, the platform crushes creators’ efforts to reach new audiences and share their work. Instagram’s algorithm also rewards content theft in the form of video reuploads.

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The deadly consequences of Islamophobia: Remembering Wadea Al-Fayoume

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The deadly consequences of Islamophobia: Remembering Wadea Al-Fayoume

On Oct. 11, Wadea Al-Fayoume, a 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy, was stabbed to death by Joseph Czuba, his family’s landlord, in a horrific tragedy. His mother was also attacked but survived. Their attacker was reportedly obsessed with coverage of Hamas’ attack on Israel and had begun to associate the actions of Hamas with every Palestinian. 

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Why we need to read archaic literature: the value of studying original texts

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Why we need to read archaic literature: the value of studying original texts

Opening a play — or any literary work — that was written hundreds of years ago can be a tremendously daunting task. The English language is incredibly dynamic and has evolved so much over the centuries that old texts might seem indecipherable through a modern lens. However, by reading these texts in their original forms, we can better appreciate the artistry of their creators and gain insight into the past.

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What is an athlete but a tool of the state?: The Russian ban must stay

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What is an athlete but a tool of the state?: The Russian ban must stay

A few months back, Italian figure skater Daniel Grassl announced his aim to change coaches. He was to leave Italy and train in Russia under arguably one of — if not the — most infamous coaches in that country: Eteri Tutberidze.

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Amplifying trans histories is essential and liberating

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Amplifying trans histories is essential and liberating

Efforts to amplify trans histories are essential for the self-affirmation and empowerment of trans people. They are also vital for opposing the conservative rhetoric that being trans is a novel trend that owes its existence to contemporary media.

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How the WGA resolution will weather the streaming economy

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How the WGA resolution will weather the streaming economy

In a critical new development, the Writer’s Guild Association reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, putting an end to the 148-day strike. While this is good news, the fight is far from over. The Screen Actors Guild’s labor union is still on strike, and writers have yet to see whether or not AMPTP will honor this new agreement.

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What the Vassar lawsuit reveals about wage discrimination in academia

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What the Vassar lawsuit reveals about wage discrimination in academia

Five current and former female professors at Vassar College, another member of the Seven Sisters, have filed a wage discrimination complaint against the college. The class action complaint, which was filed on Aug. 30, 2023 alleges that Vassar has been paying them less than their male counterparts for decades.

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Mount Holyoke needs to do better by its students of color

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Mount Holyoke needs to do better by its students of color

Mount Holyoke is a predominantly white institution, and it is undeniable that white people make up a majority of the student population, as well as the administration. While one could argue that none of this treatment was intentional or race-related, intention does not matter as much as the impact on students of color.

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Mount Holyoke fails its principle of intellectual diversity

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Mount Holyoke fails its principle of intellectual diversity

If Mount Holyoke is a flavourful dish, then we the people on this campus would be its rich ingredients. Our diversity is what makes Mount Holyoke unique. Unfortunately, I have found that this richness is not welcome in all spaces, specifically our intellectual spaces.

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