Senate summarized: MHC Forward, federal pressures, and cameras

Graphic by Brianna Stockwell ’28

By Quill Nishi-Leonard ’27

Editor in Chief 

Sept. 30’s Senate meeting served as a Town Hall for President Danielle Holley. Chair of Senate Deborah Decius ’28 kickstarted the event with some opening announcements before giving the stage to Holley, who gave students in attendance some updates about the College and its operations.

New pinning ceremony

One of Holley’s first updates was that the Honor Code Ceremony now also doubles as a pinning ceremony. New students who sign the Mount Holyoke Honor Code will also receive a pin to commemorate the occasion and their status as Mount Holyoke students. This year’s Red Pegasi were the first to partake in the updated ceremony, which is planned to continue in the coming years. Current Yellow Sphinxes, Blue Lions and Green Griffins will also receive pins, albeit in a different manner, as they will receive their pins upon graduation. 

MHC Forward updates

Holley also offered some updates about the College’s current strategic plan, MHC Forward, which was launched in 2024. Holley stated that the College has seen “tremendous progress” towards realizing the plan. Last year, new student applications for the class of 2030 were up from previous years by 13.5%. Early decision applications saw a similar increase, at 14%. 

This semester, the College will also be launching a new comprehensive funding campaign, with the goal of raising $650 million dollars. Holley stated that Mount Holyoke has already raised over 60% of this goal, and that this is the biggest campaign ever launched by a historically women’s college.

According to Holley, the College has also had success in acquiring more full-time faculty members. Currently, Mount Holyoke College has 191 full-time faculty members. 

Challenges to transgender-inclusive admissions

Holley devoted the second part of her address to discussing some of the factors outside of the College that have impacted its operations. Most of the pressure is coming from the federal government. 

Both Smith College and Wellesley College have had Title IX complaints filed against them for admitting transgender women. Smith is currently the subject of a highly publicized active investigation by the Department of Education. Holley stated that Mount Holyoke College has been informed it is under a “soft investigation.”

“We have hired a lot of people to help defend us,” Holley stated. “We will be fighting to the end with the government over [continuing to admit transgender students].”

New restrictions for international students

The Trump Administration has also continued in its attempts to place restrictions on international students in the United States. Holley highlighted a few attempted policy changes. 

In July 2026, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security attempted to introduce a new rule for international students on F-1 visas. According to DHS’ website, “Previously, F students were admitted to the United States for an unspecified period of time to pursue a full course of study at a Student and Exchange Visitor Program (SEVP) certified school or engage in authorized practical training following completion of their studies.”

“Under the new final rule, F students will be admitted to the United States for a fixed period of time instead of duration of status,” the website states. The fixed period of time cannot exceed four years, “plus a 30-day period for arrival and an additional 30-day period for departure.”

With this new policy, international students who wish to stay in the U.S. for longer — for example, to pursue work in their field of study, known as optional practical training — would have to go through extra steps, such as applying for an extension of stay, in order to remain in the U.S. legally. 

Holley said that Mount Holyoke College is currently working with AICUM — the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts — to file a lawsuit against the government, and received a preliminary injunction against this new rule on Sept. 14 from a federal judge. On Sept. 30, DHS appealed the injunction. As of Oct. 3, no decision has been made yet in regards to the appeal. This means that as of Oct. 3, the new rule requiring international students to be admitted to the U.S. for a fixed period of time is not in effect, though this may change in the future. 

Holley also announced that Mount Holyoke College will be a named plaintiff in the lawsuit against the government. “I think it is so important that we … fight back,” Holley stated.

Notably, the injunction does not affect new guidance regarding Curricular Practical Training that was issued in August 2026. Curricular Practical Training, abbreviated as CPT, allows international students to hold internships while pursuing their education. Currently, international students’ ability to hold internships is restricted, and they may only be granted CPT if it is considered “an integral part of an established curriculum,” such as meeting a graduation requirement. 

Earnings rules

Holley also discussed the Trump Administration’s plans to revoke student loan eligibility for certain degrees that fail to meet a new return on investment requirement. Under this new rule, students who wish to pursue degrees where recent graduates make less than $40,000 a year on average will no longer be able to receive federal direct student loans. Currently, there are four programs at Mount Holyoke College that don’t satisfy the return on investment requirement. The rule goes live July 1, 2027.

“It will be a very, very difficult … moment,” Holley stated, but the College is planning to work to get all majors above the return on investment requirement.

Budget cuts

The next segment of Holley’s Town Hall was devoted to the College’s annual budget. Holley stated that overall, expenses are up, largely because of inflation and other economic pressures. Holley gave the example of utilities and health insurance, which were up by 33% and $2 million last year, respectively. 

Last year, the College operated at a deficit of $4 million, and it was projected that the College would operate at a deficit of $12 million for the 2027 fiscal year, Holley said. $7 million was taken out of savings, but the remaining $5 million was made up for by budget cuts, which took place over the summer. 

52% of the budget cuts were from positions and jobs around campus. Holley stated that two positions were eliminated from the President’s Office. The remaining 45% was made up through operating wages, and 2.37% from student wages. The College’s Academic Affairs division made the decision to dismantle the Language and Culture Commons to help with the deficit. 

The decision to shutter the LCC has been controversial around campus, and a petition urging the College to “save the Language and Culture Commons” was created on Change.org. 

Closing the LCC “will significantly undermine students’ access to library resources and language-learning and cultural immersion resources,” the petition states. “It will take away a place on campus where international students gather, study together, learn from each other, and feel safe.”

“I visited LCC several times,” Holley stated, adding that she “really valued the work they did there.” Holley added that the College is currently attempting to find ways to “preserve all the materials that we had there.”

Security cameras on campus

The presence of security cameras on campus came up, both during Holley’s remarks and during a Q&A session held after. Holley stated that her experiences on campus prior to the implementation of the cameras were “very troubling,” highlighting an incident in which a racial slur was found on a bulletin board located on the third floor of Pearsons Hall. 

Students expressed discomfort about the new appearance of security cameras inside residence halls. Earlier this semester, a camera was discovered in a study room in Mead Hall. That camera has since been removed, though more cameras have been found inside residence hall entryways and lobbies.

As of Oct. 4, Mount Holyoke News has found security cameras inside at least five different residence halls. Some of the cameras are within sight of private student dorm rooms. 

The Office of Residential Life sent out an email on Friday, Oct. 2 titled “Updates on Campus Security Cameras and Residence Halls,” stating that the cameras in residence hall entryways and lobbies will not be removed. 

“We know that for some of the lobby cameras their placement can give the impression that their field-of-view is wide. As part of the camera placement work and to ensure alignment with the College’s policy, digital shrouds (privacy masks) are used on all of these cameras,” the email said. “The camera’s field of view (what it can record) is blocked by digitally placed masks – meaning hallways, lounge spaces and resident doorways are not recorded.”

The email also stated that there are “no plans to install permanent security cameras in common room spaces in residence halls,” the College’s Security Camera Acceptable Use Policy currently lists “common areas of residential buildings” as public areas “at which there is no reasonable expectation of privacy.” According to the policy, security cameras may be placed in public areas.

Also according to the policy, “signage will be present wherever cameras are placed,” though as of Oct. 4, Mount Holyoke News has been unable to find anything posted in the impacted residence halls.

“We want to respect the rights, privacy, civil liberties of everyone on campus,” Holley stated during the Town Hall. “We will make sure the camera policy is followed.”

Announcements

Senate closed out with announcements from various students and organizations. 

AASIA has partnered with the new Native Spirit committee to host a book club, where they will be reading a book about the myths surrounding the invention of the internet. The location of meetings will alternate between Kendade Hall and the Zowie Banteah Cultural Center, and the author of the book will be coming to campus on Nov. 11. 

The Mount Holyoke Debate and Discussion Association is a new student organization which, as of Oct. 4, is accepting applications for their E-Board. Their instagram is @mhcdda, and they can also be found on Embark. 

The Frances Perkins Scholars Association — abbreviated as FPSA — announced that they would have their first meeting of the year on Oct. 1 on Google Meet. 

The Students of Color Committee stated that the College’s annual Hortense Parker Celebration Week — which honors Mount Holyoke’s first known Black student, Hortense Parker ’83, along with all other Mount Holyoke College students, alums, staff and faculty of color — will take place this year from Oct. 2-9. Dr. Destiny Williams-Dobosz ’19, the founder of STEMPOC, will be visiting campus on Oct. 6 to speak at a ceremony in honor of Hortense Parker.  

AJC, also known as the Accessibility Justice Club, announced that they would be holding their first Disabilitea of the semester on Oct. 1 in the Mead common room. Masks are optional at Disabilitea meetings, but highly encouraged. 

“We want to talk to you, and we want to make this space more accessible,” the club’s representative stated.

Editor’s note: Quill Nishi-Leonard ’27 is Mount Holyoke News’ senator for the 2026-27 academic year.

Karishma Ramkarran ’27 contributed fact-checking.

What gets people talking? Interviewing students for MHN

Graphic by Quill Nishi-Leonard ’27 via Canva

By Jo Elliott ’28 and Abby Paull ’28

News Editor & Staff Writer

“Why isn’t anyone talking?” This is the question many frustrated journalists ask when trying to get people on the College’s campus to interview. 

Throughout the many articles we’ve worked on as active journalists, interviews are  the hardest part of the process in writing an article and maintaining its journalistic integrity. It often requires searching and scourging on campus to find willing people to express their opinions for the paper. I find it difficult at the end of the day to do my due diligence as a reporter to write about a  story in process when there is  no one to express their opinion on how they feel and how this issue is affecting them. 

This is a very common problem that many of our fellow staff reporters face when it comes time to write for the News. Many articles rely heavily on the contributions of students, staff and community members to construct the narrative about what is happening in  our community. They are the backbone to many of the sections such as news or features, where we are actively seeking that output to make stories relatable to campus. Integrating community feedback is necessary to make change in the overall environment of the College. Though our general approach can understably come off initially as headstrong, the opinion we look for is to contribute to a greater understanding, not harsh or cruel gossip. 

 A general misconception I often hear about MHN  is that we are more often than not associated with gossip. Some believe that our organization seeks to spread lies and slander to purposefully ruin the reputation of individuals, administrators, or event organizers so that they will cease operations. However, I feel the need to address this large misconception, as it is a barrier that separates the College’s newspaper from the greater community. 

We can theorize that this animosity and hesitancy in general may be a result of the current climate we’re living in, especially many now skeptical of what to share and not to share in a society that values gossip and slander. I have taken it upon myself to interview two Mount Holyoke students about this subject.

When asked about students’ thoughts on the Mount Holyoke News generally, Fiona Heller ’28 said, “I don't think the news represents our school in the most truthful light possible.”  

In regards to MHN’s biweekly publishing of a physical newspaper, Mia Lederer ’28 had to say, "I'm sure some people out there believe that a physical newspaper is old school in our current digital era.” This reflects a lot of the current state of the world when  media that is consumed physically is considered out of date. 

When I asked the students about what may deter them from interviewing for the News, Heller had to say, “I think that a lot of Mount Holyoke students are afraid to have their name attached to something that might impact them socially or lead to them being treated differently by staff members or Administrators.” 

This is a point I want to continue with. The fear of association seems to lead a lot of students to not want to speak with the News. It is a fear that reflects the general culture with the student body, where many don’t want to be associated with something that could harm them in the future. 

When asked this same question, Lederer had to say, “Maybe it's an issue of timing? It can be tricky to immediately see the value of doing a news interview amidst a busy schedule of competing priorities.” 

This is another variable that adds to the lack of participation in the student news. It’s a combination of fear of speaking out and a rigorous academic career that leads to no room really to engage with the News.

Quill Nishi-Leonard ’27 contributed fact-checking.