Students and faculty milled around the lobby of the Mount Holyoke College Art Museum on Wednesday, Jan. 29, as poems and soft music played from a speaker. Some gathered around a table filled with snacks while others looked at the different exhibits lining the walls. Still, others wrote on sticky notes, either describing their own version of the apocalypse or sharing bits of hope on another section of the wall.
New spring admits find community in small class size
Deer hunting debate continues in the Pioneer Valley
On Nov. 13, 2019, the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation announced that the proposed expansion of deer hunting to Quabbin Park in Belchertown, Massachusetts would be cancelled. The press release cited a need of further research. The Pioneer Valley is no stranger to controversy around the expansion of hunting in the area. The argument remains as to whether the hunting of deer should be expanded to more land or less, and how necessary the hunting of deer is for the environment.
Shakti program promotes leadership
Shakti, a program started in 2016 following the interim President Sonya Stephens’ trip to India in 2014, is a two-day conference which occurs every summer. Created through a collaboration between the Office of Admission and the individual alumnae, Shoba Narayan ’87, Vijaya Pastala ’89 and Gayatri Rangachari Shah ’94, the program aims to inspire confidence and leadership skills of 11th and 12th grade girls in India.
The history of Thanksgiving traditions at Mount Holyoke
The Red Brigade performs during climate protest
Jane Wald discusses work in the world of Emily Dickinson
A personal perspective on Californian wildfires
A week ago, I opened up my laptop and waited for Facebook to load. As posts popped up on my screen, I began to laugh. My friends looked over to see what meme or status update I found so funny; instead, they found me scrolling through updates of my friends at home marking themselves safe from various wildfires. Of course, I don’t find the destruction of my state funny. But to me, there was something disturbingly humorous about opening a page, expecting it to be filled with lighthearted content and instead finding reminder upon reminder that climate change was once again showing its ugly face back at home.
Room inspections introduce new policy
Over the past weeks, students at Mount Holyoke have received emails from members of the Residential Life staff about upcoming health and safety room checks. The emails included basic time and date information, as well as a lengthy list of items not allowed in the residence halls or apartments. Inspections took place between Nov. 7 and Nov. 15.
Merging film studies and theatre arts majors prompts discussion amongst department members
In spring 2019, the film studies and theatre arts departments announced a tentative merger to create a new major. Faculty and students gathered to discuss concerns with the majors and ideas for a new path of study. This semester, the two departments announced that the plan is in the works and awaiting final approval from the faculty board.
Rhonda Saletnik finds joy in housekeeping at Mount Holyoke
New documentary depicts the life of alum Frances Perkins
Administration grapples with diversity recognition: what is a “women’s college”?
The title of a “women’s college” is heavily debated. On its website, Mount Holyoke uses the term “women’s college.” Most prominently, it is found on the College’s “About” page, where the College describes itself as “a women’s College that is gender diverse,” going on to say, “we welcome application from female, transgender and nonbinary students.”
Walker brings magic to English department
Senate aims to increase transparency
Hampshire community faces the future by commemorating the past
n the midst of the chaos at Hampshire College stands a 6-by-15-foot portrait of two symbolic Hampshire College activists: former professor James Baldwin and alum Cara Page. Both Baldwin and Page reflect values that Hampshire College has embodied such as community service and advocating for equal opportunity.
Shani Mensing ’15: Mount Holyoke alum behind the newly renovated Fimble Makerspace
In the new Mount Holyoke Makerspace, sunlight shines through the large floor-to-ceiling windows from the lake outside and pools around alum Shani Mensing ’15. Mensing’s role within the newly constructed space is the Fimble Maker Innovation Lab Coordinator and Technical Specialist — but she was also there from the beginning, when the Makerspace was just a small room and a big idea.
Shifting landscapes: A look into Blanch before it was “super”
When they arrived on campus in the fall of 2017, the members of the class of 2021 became the last to experience Mount Holyoke’s traditional dining arrangements before the renovated Dining Commons opened in Blanchard Hall in January 2018. Before this, Blanchard served several different purposes for the College.
“Be Well, Be Ready” series begins with housing advice
Has MGM lived up to its economic promise?
BY KILLIAN DOBROTH
An older man in a blue overcoat and a gray vest stood by a translucent slot machine, ordering a drink. His face was spotted with brown freckles and wrinkles and he wore a pair of roundish glasses. “There’s an old adage,” said the man, John Tranghese of Chicopee. “It goes like this: ‘any port in a storm will do. This casino is our Pioneer Valley port in a storm.”