U.S.-Israel attacks on Iran: What Mount Holyoke students should know

Photo Courtesy of The White House via Wikimedia

On Feb. 26, 2026, the United States and Israel began a joint bombing campaign against Iran; as of March 21, 2026,

BY ANI MECCA ’27

STAFF WRITER

On Feb. 28, 2026, the United States and Israel carried out a joint bombing campaign against Iran, with the Israeli Defense Ministry calling the attack a “pre-emptive strike,” according to CBS News. The New York Times reported that two central goals guided the collaborative attack: To debilitate Iran’s nuclear and military capabilities, and to assassinate the country’s top leaders.

“In recent months, the tyrants in Iran have been plotting to rebuild their nuclear and missile capabilities and to bury them underground so we won’t be able to strike them,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement delivered on Feb. 28. “If we don’t stop them now, they will become invulnerable." 

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the United States was knowledgeable about Israel’s plan to strike Iran, and also sought to act pre-empitively because of expected Iranian attacks on American forces in the region, according to the BBC. 

In executing these attacks, both Netanhayu and U.S. President Donald Trump have expressed hope for regime change in Iran. “When we are finished, take over your government … This will probably be your only chance for generations,” Trump said in an address to the Iranian people, posted on the social media platform Truth Social on Feb. 28. 

Since the Iranian Revolution of 1979, which toppled the Pahlavi monarchy and established a republic based on strict adherence to Shi’a Islam, Iran’s government has regarded the United States and Israel as existential foes. 

Ayatollah, or supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, who succeeded the founder of the Islamic Republic, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, furthered Iran’s uncompromising anti-Western stance since his rise to power in 1989, The New York Times reported.

Khamenei was killed during the first phase of strikes on Feb. 28. Trump announced his death on Truth Social, saying: “Khamenei, one of the most evil people in History, is dead.” The Iranian government confirmed his assassination later that day. 

Despite both the U.S. and Israel claiming that their primary targets were senior officials and military and nuclear sites, the strikes have led to an onslaught of civilian casualties. According to the Iranian-founded Human Rights Activists News Agency, the first week of attacks alone killed around 1,172 civilians. In the week since the military campaign began, the strikes have predominantly targeted the capital Tehran, but provinces across the country have also been hit.

One of the deadliest attacks occurred in the southern Iranian town of Minab on Feb. 28, during which a missile strike killed at least 175 people, most of them children, at the Shajarah Tayyebeh elementary school. 

While neither the United States nor Israel claimed initial responsibility for the strike, an investigation by The New York Times confirmed that the school building was hit at the same time as the U.S. and Israel attacked a nearby Iranian military compound.

Since Feb. 28, Iran has retaliated by striking Israel, U.S.-allied states in the Gulf region, and U.S. military bases across West Asia. In turn, Israel has carried out attacks on neighboring Lebanon to destroy Iran-linked militia forces operating in the country, according to Al Jazeera.

While anxiety over a potential Third World War has skyrocketed across social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram and X, what some people may envision — an all-out nuclear conflict, with the U.S. being targeted — isn’t likely to occur, Dazed reported. 

Iran’s ballistic missiles are incapable of reaching U.S. soil, and despite decades of accusations from both the U.S. and Israel, Iran has not produced a nuclear bomb.. 

As for the conflict’s effects on Mount Holyoke students, study abroad programs in Israel have been suspended since late February, but several programs still operate in Jordan. While Jordan has not been a primary target of either the U.S. and Israel or Iran, missile debris was reported to have fallen in several regions of the country amidst the attacks, with no injuries or deaths confirmed, according to the Anadolu Agency based in Türkiye.

“The McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives has been working with all of our study abroad partners and the MHC student who was studying in the region has been evacuated safely,” Christian Feuerstein, Director of Media and Public Affairs, said in a statement to Mount Holyoke News.

The White House has indicated that military action could proceed for four to six more weeks, while Israel said the campaign would “continue as long as needed,” the BBC reported.

This is the second armed conflict between American-Israeli forces and Iran within a year, the first being the Twelve Day war of June 2025, which also began with a joint attack by the U.S. and Israel on Iranian military and nuclear sites. Anti-government protests in Iran also erupted in late December of last year, continuing into January and resulting in at least an estimated 6,000 civilian deaths, Time magazine reported. 

Angelina Godinez ’28 contributed to fact-checking.

Pope Leo embarks on first foreign trip of his papacy, travels to Middle East

Graphic by Betty Smart ’26

By Mira Crane ’27

Global Editor

In late November, the new pope traveled to the Middle East. According to The New York Times, Pope Leo XIV began this visit, the first foreign trip of his papacy, by going to Turkey. 

He was there for four days. 

On Thursday, Nov. 27, the pope had a meeting with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In the following days, the pope visited Catholic clergy in the area and representatives of other Christian denominations, including the Head of the Eastern Orthodox church, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople.

NPR reported that the pope spoke at Istanbul's Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, giving praise to the church for its work helping migrants and immigrants in Turkey. According to NPR, the pope went to the location of the Council of Nicaea, where a statement of faith — still used by a number of Christian denominations today — was created 1700 years ago. 

The New York Times reported that the pope took part in an ecumenical service near the ancient ruins of the Byzantine Basilica depicting Saint Neophytos. Moreover, according to BBC News, Pope Leo also followed in the footsteps of his predecessors by going to the Blue Mosque and meeting with other religious leaders. 

BBC News reported that Pope Leo warned against giving into "a heightened level of conflict on the global level" at the beginning of his time in Turkey. 

NPR reported that the aim of the pope’s trip was to call for the cooperation of world leaders in creating peace. At the start of his trip, Pope Leo stated, "We hope to announce, transmit, proclaim how important peace is throughout the world and to invite all people to come together to search for greater unity, greater harmony." He added that he hopes "to look for the ways that all men and women can truly be brothers and sisters in spite of differences, in spite of different religions, in spite of different beliefs." 

According to the New York Times, Pope Leo affirmed his support for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict, which has long been the Vatican’s position.

The New York Times reported that the pope continued his trip by traveling to Lebanon, where he met with church and government officials. Lebanon is the home of the largest Catholic community in the Arab world. 

The pope made this journey during a delicate moment. Even though Israel and Lebanon are currently observing a fragile truce, Israel claims to have struck Hezbollah targets inside the country in response to alleged violations of ceasefire terms, according to BBC News. There have been accusations of ceasefire violations on both sides. 

The visit proved to be a test of the pope’s diplomatic skills. BBC News reported that, while Pope Leo has not been as overtly political as his predecessor, Pope Francis, he has spoken out about issues that are important to him, like the dignity of migrants. 

Pope Leo has quietly maintained many of Pope Francis’ progressive ideals while also taking in the messages of traditionalists. According to BBC News, Pope Leo ended his visit to Lebanon by attending mass at the site of the port explosion that occurred on the Beirut waterfront in 2020. The pope prayed for more than 200 people who were killed and 7,000 others who were injured. 

Karishma Ramkarran ’27 contributed fact checking. 

BONDHU hosts Nov. 22 Bengali game night at Mount Holyoke

Photo by Alia Bloomgarden ’29

BONDHU hosted a Bengali game night on November 22, 2025; all students were welcome to join.

By Alia Bloomgarden ’29

Staff Writer

On Saturday, Nov. 22, BONDHU, Mount Holyoke College’s Bangladeshi student organization, hosted a Bengali game night. 

On this night, students gathered to play games, eat Indo-Chinese food, listen to Bengali music and watch three singing performances by Bangladeshi students. Shanum Sarkar ’29, a Bangladeshi student, explained in an interview with Mount Holyoke News, “Bengali game night…  is very close to my heart, and — I can speak for all my friends —  to their hearts, too … [board games are] such an important thing to have at every event.” 

Sarkar further reminisced, “I learned how to count because I knew how to play ludo, and I knew I had to beat my dumb brother at ludo, so I knew how to count before he did. The fierce competitiveness, the joys, the screaming at your cousins, the throwing over the entire board because you're losing … Game nights bring out this whole personality of Bengali people that you've never seen before.”

BONDHU ordered the Indo-Chinese food from Priya, an Indian cuisine restaurant. Sarkar stated that “Desi-Chinese [or Indo-Chinese] is a famous thing back at home … It's basically … like Chinese fried rice, dumplings [and] other things, but cooked in Desi spices.” She explained that this food is in-between everyday and fancy food. She added, “It also reminds you of home because of the spice and the fragrances.”

The Bangladeshi students performed three songs: a mashup of Rabindranath Tagore’s Mayabono Biharini and Yellow by Coldplay, Tomar Ghore by Hasan Raja, and Jodi Dekhar Iccha Hoy, a folk song about love. 

Sarkar explains that Mayabono Biharini is “heart-wrenching because it's an ode to an elusive yet alluring beloved whose beauty remains unattainable. And I think that nothing quite captures unrequited love like Rabindranath Thakur's work does, especially this song … this song is very popular… from the 90s to Gen Alpha [today].” 

Yellow is also a song about unconditional love and devotion. And we just felt like those two songs would go very well together because the beat matched really well,” Sarkar said. Tomar Ghore is about “the multiple facets of our personality.” 

This event showcased Bondhu’s “community and festive nature” that attracted Sarkar to Mount Holyoke in the first place. When Sarkar was asked about how she feels about the Bengali community on campus, she said she has found the Bengali community to be “more helpful than [she] thought [it] would be.” 

“Even before I came here, they were like older sisters … [from] answering these annoying little questions like it was no bother at all, to involving us very heavily in the events… despite most of us not being on the board, to organizing Nobin Boron,” which is a “welcome event for new students who come to the campus,” she explained.

 “I'm just very grateful for the Bangladeshis who've looked after us like we're their own, and I hope to one day be like them. And there are more little Bangladeshis on campus. I hope to learn more from them and be as supportive as them.” 

Karishma Ramkarran ’27 contributed fact checking. 

Alum Gloria Xiong lectures on China's economic statecraft

Photo courtesy of Professor Calvin Chen
Mount Holyoke Alum Gloria Xiong ’17 came to the College to present recent research on China’s statecraft to Mount Holyoke students.

BY KENNEDY BAGLEY-FORTNER ‘26

STAFF WRITER

On Oct. 31st, Gloria Xiong ’17 returned to Mount Holyoke College to present her research on China’s coercive statesmanship. During her time at Mount Holyoke College, Xiong majored in politics and later received a Ph.D. in government from Cornell University in 2024.

 Xiong “studies economic statecraft, sanctions, and domestic politics of international relations, with a focus on China.” Currently, she is an assistant professor in the Government Department at Colby College, and she is working on her book project which “investigates the drivers and consequences of China’s coercive statecraft.”  

In an email interview with Mount Holyoke News, Xiong emphasised the personal significance of coming back to the College to present her research on China’s economic statecraft. Xiong wrote, “The opportunity to present my research as an alum is particularly meaningful because the research itself was catalyzed by the transformative teaching at Mount Holyoke [College].”

She also touched upon the importance of others learning about China’s coercion policies, “because of the globalized economy, we may all be under the potential influence of China’s economic statecraft. It is, therefore, important to understand the strategy and rationale behind such weaponization of economic interdependence.”  

Xiong began by discussing how and why China’s political pressure tactics work. Her first example of China’s reliance on pressure tactics was within a domain not typically associated with international politics: The National Basketball Association. 

“The NBA’s popularity in China exploded after Yao Ming was drafted by the Houston Rockets as the No. 1 pick in 2002 … nearly 500 million people, more than a third of China’s population, were tuning in to watch the league’s content,” according to CNN Sports. 

Xiong writes, “In 2019, when the then-general manager of the Houston Rockets sent a [post on the social platform X] that voiced support for protests in Hong Kong, the Chinese government swiftly orchestrated a series of economic decisions in backlash against the NBA.” 

While the then-general manager Daryl Morey hadn’t been posting in an official capacity in affiliation with the NBA, it “set off a firestorm in China,” reported Eurasia Group. This started an uproar between China and the NBA. Morey had to take down the post on X, and the NBA issued apologies on his behalf. 

“Various state-owned and private streaming services suspended all NBA broadcasts, while sponsors and business partners withdrew millions of dollars in deals.” Xiong stated. 

CNBC reported that NBA Commissioner Adam Silver  “admitted the NBA suffered ‘substantial’ losses as the rift intensified. ”For the past six years, the NBA almost ceased to exist in China, a huge economic loss for the company.

When, according to an article by the NBA, “for the first time since 2019, NBA preseason basketball returned to China with the 2025 NBA China games,” it was clear that China’s pressure tactic worked.

With this in mind, Xiong smoothly transitioned to her main focus: economic coercion. Economic coercion can take many forms, however the Stimson Center summarizes it as “attempts to weaponize economic dependencies by forcing the target state(s) to comply and conform.”

Economic coercion “differs” from traditional trade policy measures “in that the coercive measures are often extralegal and target a political outcome that may not have a direct relationship to policy.”

For example, in 2022 , China suspended trade with Lithuania, after a Taiwanese representative office in Lithuania used the word “Taiwanese” instead of China’s preferred term “Taipei,” said the Brookings Institute. 

China uses the word “Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” to proclaim their “One China” principle. By using Taiwan instead of Taipei, the representative office broke with China’s official preferences. 

This is a great example of China’s reliance on economic coercion to combat “perceived challenges to Chinese territorial sovereignty, national and economic security, and domestic political legitimacy,” Xiong wrote. 

Xiong also highlighted how China’s coercive tactics can have various outcomes. She emphasized how public opinion of both civilians and the local government can impact the retaliation from other countries. Take, for example, differences in public opinion between South Korea and Australia, who faced similar pressure from China on different issues. 

The South Korean issue began in 2016 when the U.S. and South Korea announced a plan to install a mobile anti-ballistic missile system, known as THAAD. While the official purpose of THAAD was to defend South Korea against North Korean ballistic missiles, China opposed this defense system citing “concerns about the system’s potential impact on Chinese national security,” CSIS reported.  

Regarding THAAD, "Conservatives and progressives were divided on how to handle the issue…conservatives argued that THAAD is a necessary deterrent against North Korea and China had no place opposing it,” according to the German Institute for Global and Area Studies. On the other hand, progressives “raised the concern that THAAD only benefits the US’s strategic interests and somewhat serves to stoke tensions with China and Russia.”

In retaliation, Beijing “launched a concerted economic campaign against South Korea,” stated Lawfare. This campaign targeted the multinational corporation Lotte Group, the owners of the land that would house the defense system.

Rather than explicitly punishing the Lotte Group “on the mainland, Beijing shut 74 of Lotte Mart’s 99 outlets, citing fire violations,” according to an article by Forbes. These “fire violations” are part of Chinese efforts to use their quiet coercion policies to achieve their goals. The total losses for 2017 were estimated at $1.7 billion, Lawfare reported. Additionally, China started to crack down on tourism to South Korea.

Relations were only stabilized after South Korea’s announcement of the “Three Nos”: “No additional THAAD deployment, no participation in the U.S. missile defense network, and no trilateral alliance with the United States and Japan,” according to the CSIS report. 

Essentially, the South Korean government coalesced to China’s demands due to increasing economic pressure and public backlash. 

Conversely, in 2017, the Australian parliament brought up legislation to “combat foreign interference in Australian politics,” CSIS reported. Malcolm Turnbull said that his proposed reforms “[were] not about any one country,” in an address reported by CNBC, but the Chinese government took the legislation as an attack. 

Beijing “responded with a diplomatic freeze, along with reported trade restrictions against Australian beef and wine,” according to CSIS. 

Following this, from 2018 to 2020, “Austrialia-China relations deteriorated further,” CSIS reported. This deterioration of relations put strain on both economies.

Xiong discussed how in 2020, the Chinese Embassy in Canberra leaked “China’s 14 Grievances.” The grievances ranged from a Huawei ban, visa cancellations, counter foreign interference legislation  to the cancellation of the Belt and Road Initiative under the Foreign Arrangements Bill, in a declassified report from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. 

While the diplomatic freeze ended in November of 2022, trade tensions still remain.

In her lecture, Xiong provided these two examples which highlight the variety of outcomes. According to her, in the case of South Korea it resulted in a “tactical compromise,” whereas with Australia it resulted in “tactical resistance.”

Xiong’s research of China’s economic coercion is highly relevant in today’s globalized world. According to Xiong, the Chinese government moves stealthily, swiftly, and powerfully. 

Sophie Francis ’28 contributed fact-checking. 

Mount Holyoke student celebrates Guru Nanak Gurpurab on Nov. 5

Photo courtesy of Aneet Brar ‘29

On November 5, Aneet Brar travelled to a gurdwara in Connecticut to celebrate Guru Nanak Gurpurab, a Sikh holiday celebrated around the around.

BY ALIA BLOOMGARDEN ‘29

STAFF WRITER

On Nov. 5, around 30 million people celebrated the Sikh holiday Guru Nanak Gurpurab.

Aneet Brar ’29 is a Sikh student at Mount Holyoke College. According to Brar, “Sikhism is an Indic ethno-religion that was founded about 600 years ago in the Punjab region of what is Northwestern India and Eastern Pakistan today. … Actually, Sikhism is kind of like the Anglicized word for the religion. It’s also called Sikhi.”

On Gurpurab, Brar explained that to celebrate she “[goes] to the gurudwara, which is the Sikh temple. Usually, there's a prayer, something akin to a sermon, and then also hymns are sung. We also have a free communal meal called langar. Actually, Guru Nanak Dev Ji, or Baba Nanak, he’s the person who started langar … so we all have a langer together.”

This Gurpurab, Brar went to a gurdwara in Connecticut. “It was really, really nice. In the community, there was really, really accepting, and I felt very happy to go there, especially after not going to Gurdwara in so long,” Brar said.

Moreover, she noticed that whenever she goes to the gurdwara, “People are very quick to help others. If there's someone who's sitting down eating and they need…something else, like…another dish or something, they won't [have to] get up because another person is going to be there to be like, hey, what do you need? I’ll go get it for you.”

She explained that one of the main ideas  in Sikhism is “ of one God, or rather this belief in the oneness of God. God is kind of understood as not really like this, this person in the sky who's controlling things or looking over you. It's more of just like this feeling and the oneness of the universe. God can be understood as a benevolent universe.”

This idea is called Ek Onkar. 

Brar said, along with Ek Onkar, the most important principles in Sikhi are Seva — service to their community — and “ the idea of being equal under God, that we're all creations of God or we're creations within the universe, and because of that, we're all equal.”

She continued by explaining that there are two smaller, but still important, principles: Kirat, living an honest life, and Vand Chakna, giving to the underprivileged.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the Guru celebrated on Gurpurab, is the first of ten Gurus.

“Guru means teachers, so our gurus are some kind of spiritual or religious teacher,” Brar said.

Additionally, the third Guru, Guru Amar Das, created the concept of pangat sangat, which means everybody, regardless of rank, caste, or anything else sits together and eats together as equals, according to Learn Religions, a website dedicated to providing education about different religions and spiritualities.  

“Sometimes people also light fireworks, or they'll also light divas,” which are clay oil lamps that are often also lit on Diwali, Brar added. 

When asked if Brar’s view of Sikhi changed from growing up to now at college, she said, “When I was a bit younger, I was quite areligious … but I realized that religion or faith or spirituality, whatever it is … It's just something about my identity.”

She reflected further on her Sikh identity, explaining, “I actually wrote my college essay about Sikhism, and after I wrote that essay, I became, I would say, a lot more appreciative of my identity and my family and my ancestors.”

In the Punjab region, there is a lot of religious syncretism, which Brar describes as meaning “we have a lot of different beliefs that are present in Punjab, such as Islam, Sikhism, Hinduism, Christianity. Because of this, a lot of people partake in other religions and other festivals and other holidays, and they follow specific principles or gods or whatever it may be in other religions.” 

At Mount Holyoke, Brar says while there are some people who “follow or celebrate certain Sikh holidays” to her knowledge, “it's not like they come from a Sikh family.” According to Brar, “generally being the only person that's from a Sikh family, it's been a little bit isolating at times.”

She grew up with a small South Asian community in Indiana, and they were usually Sikhs. 

Here it’s the reverse. “There's a lot of South Asians here, and there's a strong, very vibrant community here, but nobody here is Sikh. So because of that, sometimes I do feel a little bit alone. But I will say that the South Asian community here is still very, very accepting and very, very inclusive, which I really appreciate,” Brar said. 

Sophie Francis ’28 contributed fact-checking.

UN holds 80th session of the General Assembly high-level week

Graphic by Brianna Stockwell ’28

Alia Bloomgarden ’29

Staff Writer

On Sept. 22, the United Nations kicked off its most pivotal week of this year’s General Assembly. The high-level week lasted from Sept. 22-30 as part of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly held in New York.

According to the United Nations website, the week hinged on the general debate, the anniversary of the general assembly, the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and the World Programme for Action for Youth, and the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons. They focused on six specific topics: Palestine and the two-state solution, the climate, the global economy, noncommunicable diseases and mental health and well-being, AI governance, and Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.

These topics were generally expected as they are major issues, Professor Christopher Mitchell, chair of the department of international relations, explained. He was surprised that Rohingya Muslims “made the agenda along with some things that sort of indisputably are major and controversial issues.” He added, “I’m glad to see they’re getting that attention,” as they “have not gotten nearly as much international attention as a lot of other crises in the world.”

On Sept. 23, President Donald Trump addressed the U.N., making a slew of controversial claims. During his speech, he claimed that all the U.N. does is “write a really strongly worded letter and then never follow up on this letter.” Mitchell explains that, while these remarks are “not tremendously significant, the Trump presidency obviously is.” These remarks and Trump's previous hostility to the U.N. are an “exaggeration and a continuation of the George W. Bush administration towards the United Nations, though with the caveat that the Bush administration consistently cast itself as broadly pro-United Nations, and opposed to the United Nations on the specific question of … the invasion of Iraq, whereas the Trump administration is more hostile to the notion of the United Nations as a whole.”

Despite Trump's hostility to the U.N., he told U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres that “our country is behind the United Nations 100%.” In addition to his criticisms of the U.N. in general, Trump criticized Europe’s handling of migrants. He warned European countries about the crisis of “uncontrolled migration,” claiming their “countries are being ruined. The U.N. is funding an assault on Western countries and their borders” and adding that London “want[s] to go to Sharia Law.”

Sir Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, rejected this claim. He said that London is a “liberal, multi-cultural, progressive and successful city,” while claiming that Trump is “racist, … sexist … misogynistic and … Islamophobic.”

Mitchell explained that Trump’s remarks “link in with the idea that there is this common trend of right-wing populism across a lot of the democracies of the world. It’s an interesting aspect that all these countries … are both nationalistic and international in that there’s a nationalist international, … where the right-wing populists in Europe and the right-wing populists in the United States of America and the right-wing populists in Latin America all are looking to each other and aligning with each other and raising the same issues and concerns to a large degree.”

According to Mitchell, Trump is “signaling to his ideological allies in these countries.”

Trump re-emphasized his stance on climate change, referring to the carbon footprint as a “hoax,” and global warming as a “con job.” He insulted Europe for reducing its carbon footprint by 37%, which cost them “a lot of jobs, a lot of factories closed.”

Meanwhile, there’s been a “global [job] increase of 54% [with] much of it coming from China and countries that are thriving around China.” He also emphasized his executive orders to “hunt for oil.”

On the other hand, according to Reuters, China’s President, Xi Jinping, committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 7-10% and increasing its wind and solar power capacity six times from its 2020 levels by 2035. Xi stated, “Green and low-carbon transformation is the trend of our times. Despite some countries going against the trend, the international community should stay on the right track, maintain unwavering confidence, unwavering action, and undiminished efforts,” clearly referring to Trump’s anti-environmentalist stance.

Mitchell explains that Trump's statements are yet another example of the continuation and exaggeration of the Bush presidency’s stances, which were hostile towards climate change. However, Bush was “less inclined to reject the science of climate change and more inclined to quibble as to questions of severity and necessity of action.” Essentially, Bush claimed that the climate crisis is “too expensive to do anything about and therefore we should not worry about it,” according to Mitchell.

On the other hand, Trump has taken a “much more aggressive … position” by denying that climate change exists entirely. Mitchell explains that America’s lack of action on climate change obviously makes it much harder for the rest of the world to deal with it, but this is not a new issue.

Mitchell states, “Obama talked a lot about climate change, but his actual record was pretty weak.”

This hypocrisy was something Trump pointed out in his speech, saying, “President Obama would get into Air Force One, a massive Boeing 747, and not a new one, an old one with old engines that spew everything into the atmosphere. He’d talk about the carbon footprint: ‘We must do something.’”

Mitchell believes that Europeans should stop “looking towards the U.S. for leadership that isn’t coming.” It may “spur them to act in a more dramatic fashion.”

On the other side of the issue, Mitchell explains that because the U.S. does not invest in renewable energy, they “[cede] space in what might well be the leading industry in the next half century.” This gives China the opportunity to become a dominant player, leaving “the U.S. in a worse position to reap the benefits of the green transition.” This may also lead Europeans to work with China.

On Sept. 21, Britain, Canada, Australia and Portugal recognized a Palestinian state, despite having traditionally allied with Israel, according to Reuters. This went against Trump’s stance and angered him and Netanyahu, who both said this rewards Hamas. Additionally, during Netanyahu’s speech at the General Assembly, many delegates walked out in protest.

Mitchell explains that the “practical effect is negligible … the real importance is symbolic,” indicating that Israel has lost a lot of support and trust on the world stage. He adds, “There’s always been a significant portion of the United Nations skeptical of Israel and Israel’s commitment to the peace process. That it’s reached states like Britain and France is a new level.” Additionally, this also “indicates a declining U.S. influence because, especially for the Anglosphere countries that have recognized Britain and Australia and Canada, one of the main factors has not just been their view of Israel, but that the United States urged them not to do it.”

At the end of Trump’s speech, he said, “Let us protect religious liberty, including for the most persecuted religion on the planet today. It’s called Christianity.” Mitchell explains that he thinks it’s “factually inaccurate” and “says more about the loss, the feeling of Christians that they’ve lost their primacy.”

When asked about his overall thoughts and what Mount Holyoke College students should take away from the General Assembly, Mitchell said that the importance of it is “almost entirely symbolic … This is about signaling to the rest of the world where you stand on certain issues.”

During the General Assembly, Trump has shown that the most interesting point of comparison is himself “versus George W. Bush, and the ways his positions can be seen as a continuity with those of the old Republican Party, the pre-Trump Republican Party, but also the very significant ways in which they’re not continuous but break from that position,” according to Mitchell.

Overall, Mitchell’s biggest takeaways are that “the U.S. has lost influence and Israel has lost influence that it had vis-à-vis where they both were a few years ago.”

Alayna Khan ’28 contributed fact-checking.

‘Regina di fiori e di perle’: Gabriella Ghermandi and Ethiopian pride

Photo by Kannille Washington ’28

Photgraph of Gabriella Ghermandi’s lecture and performance on “Queen of Flowers and Pearls.”

By Kannille Washington ’28

Staff Writer

“I must make peace with my land.” Gabriella Ghermandi echoes the words of her mother as they moved from Italy back to Ethiopia.

On Oct. 2, in Dwight Hall, Gabriella Ghermandi gave a lecture and performance on her novel, “Queen of Flowers and Pearls.” The annual Giamatti Lecture is given through the Italian department in honor of Mount Holyoke’s Valentine Giamatti, who was an Italian professor at the College in the 1940s.

This year, Gabriella Ghermandi came to speak about her book, which has become a classic in Italian literature. Ghermandi shared insights on the Italian occupation of Ethiopia and the reasons why storytelling and oral history are important in preserving cultural heritage in the face of colonization.

“I grew up in Ethiopia, and I attended the Italian school. And it was a very racist environment, very fascist,” Ghermandi said in an interview with Mount Holyoke News the day before the lecture.

In her lecture, she began by addressing how people and history disregard Italy’s colonialism. Compared to the reach of other countries such as France and Spain, Italy is least often held accountable for the harm they have caused to the Ethiopian community during their occupation from the 1930s to the 1940s, and its lasting impact.

Despite this occupation and, additionally, mass levels of immigration in Italy, there is little acknowledgment of the racial diversity in the country.

“It’s a very old issue that belongs to fascism and even before. Just trying to maintain the purity of the Italian blood, which belongs to the Roman Empire,” Ghermandi said.

Ghermandi, eloquently, introduced her novel as personal, but not autobiographical. She presented the idea that there is still a “bleeding wound” in her maternal history.

“Regina di fiori e di perle” — which translates to “Queen of Flowers and Pearls” — is the story of a young girl who finds value in storytelling and oral history while retracing the centuries of history in her Ethiopian heritage. Ghermandi said, “I always had my eyes fixed on the Italian community because I felt threatened, but I never turned to the other one, which was the Ethiopian one, which was the one that actually supported me.” This late connection to her heritage led to her decision to write the novel.

The Italian occupation was organized in such a way so as to control the movement of Ethiopian pathways, people and cultures. This control extended to Ghermandi and her mother’s own perceptions of their identities.

In her lecture, Ghermandi told the story of her mother’s childhood. She shared that her mother was taught a game in which kids would run away from the “Black man.” Eventually, Ghermandi’s mother taught her the same game: To run away from anything Black. As she grew older, this was how she went about life, trying to run away from anything Black about herself. “But my body, heart and soul are rooted in Ethiopia,” Ghermandi came to realize.

Through music, Ghermandi shared her culture and traditions. She speaks on the sounds that made up her childhood in Ethiopia, as well as other artists she admires that have distinct ways of braiding culture and tradition into their music. Pathways open, free to move in her identity, her voice filled the room with passion and an unmistakably playful nature. There is an assuredness to her culture and to her passion.

But for her mother, there is still something to find. Italy is not the land of superiority, which Ghermandi’s mother realized once she spent time in Bologna. “I want to make peace with my land,” Ghermandi recounts her mother saying.

So Ghermandi and her mother traveled back to Ethiopia in search of their family, a long line of strong women.

As the lecture came to a close, Ghermandi highlighted Shawaragad Gadle, Kebedech Seyoum and Senedu Gebru to reinforce the legacy and impact of Ethiopian women. Very poignantly, she stated, “I feel very proud of being Ethiopian.”

Alayna Khan ’28 contributed fact-checking.

New Archives exhibit on the history of international students at Mount Holyoke

Photo by Mira Crane ’27

A photo of one of the cases displaying the new archives exhibit on international students at MHC.

By Mira Crane ’27

Global Editor

On Sept. 25, Mount Holyoke College’s Archives and Special Collections held the opening reception for its new exhibit "Across Oceans, Across Time: A History of International Students at Mount Holyoke." The event was hosted by Archives and Special Collections, the McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives, and the International Student Organizing Committee, with food provided.

The evening began with an introduction from Deborah Richards, head of the Archives and Special Collections, who explained that this exhibit was completely student curated by six students: Mavis Xu ’26, Charlotte Blandino ’27, Phoenix Nehls ’27, Amelia Potter ’26, Anju Ito ’28, and Sky Cho ’25.

Richards explained that creating an exhibit is a massive undertaking and commended the students for the detailed, hard research they did over the summer. Richards then passed the baton to the student curators, who took the attendees around each of the exhibit cases and discussed the case they worked on.

Mavis Xu talked about individual international students, with an approximate timeframe of 1906 to the 1970s.

When reading through folders on student histories from the stacks, Xu looked at their lives before coming to Mount Holyoke College, their activities at the College, and their postgraduate experience. Xu found a variety of exciting stories.

Xu explained that international students carried on the legacy of Mary Lyon by doing work to support women. While researching, Xu “looked at administrative papers, club files, and individual student files, which included their photographs, letters, essays and sometimes records of the enterprise[s] they engaged in post-graduation.”

On that note, Charlotte Blandino discussed the international students’ early leadership in women’s education. She mentioned that the first international student was Susanna Major in the class of 1843. Blandino also noted that another early international student was Toshi Miyagawa, who arrived in the United States in 1890 to attend Mount Holyoke.

Phoenix Nehls explained that her research led her semi-chronologically through the history of international students at the College. She looked at the ways in which international populations changed and influenced the College over time.

Nehls noted that more specific international communities began to form in the 20th century. Lastly, she discussed Mount Holyoke’s presence during World War II and their establishment of scholarships for refugees.

This led into Amelia Potter’s research and curation of a case focused on the evolution of international students’ population makeup, beginning after World War II and spanning to the 1980s.

She explained that, post-World War II, Mount Holyoke began to receive more students from Latin American countries. Potter talked about her philosophy of letting these historical international students speak for themselves and tell their own stories.

She commented on the centrality of international students at the College and their great contributions, both to this community and beyond, through a variety of essential works. Potter articulated that the strength of the College comes from bringing together so many perspectives. She argued that in the danger of the current moment, Mount Holyoke’s diversity is more important than ever.

Conversely, Anju Ito’s research was focused more narrowly on the International Student Organizing Committee, also known as the ISOC. Ito explained that ISOC mainly works on events to promote international students and increase belonging. According to Ito, ISOC originally started as an orientation group. The organization took on its current role in 2013.

Ito highlighted historical ISOC events and how they helped students to connect with each other. She discussed the International Student Journal and the “What’s My Name Project,” two historical ISOC projects done with international students.

Sky Cho talked about the honor of highlighting ISOC as an international student coming from a diverse background, and the ways in which ISOC is personally meaningful to her. She described history as a story about what each person adds to the past, and discussed her intention of honoring the strength and solidarity of international students.

After the conclusion of the tour, attendees had the chance to ask questions of the exhibit curators. Nehls told a story about two international students who stole a car and drove across the country in the 1920s, coming back to the College just in time for convocation.

The exhibit is open to all students who want to visit, and there is a digital version which can be accessed by scanning the QR code on the exhibit’s display cases.

Speaking about the importance of the exhibit, Xu explained, “Speaking as a history major, I think the history of international students [is] integral to the history and identity of Mount Holyoke College. It is part of the diverse and liberal culture we are always proud of. It is through their eyes that we gain a fuller understanding of how the world out there looks, and free ourselves from ignorance and arrogance.”

As an international student, Xu found it comforting to imagine the paths of others who came before her, and she hopes that this exhibit reminds attendees that they are not alone.

Alayna Khan ’28 contributed fact-checking.

International student visas 101: What has changed and what to know

Photo by Kiera McLaughlin ’26

The McCulloch Center for Global Initiatives’ office can be found on the first floor of Dwight Hall.

By Kiera McLaughlin ’25

Global Editor

Last semester, on April 14, students, faculty and staff filled the Great Room for a closed forum hosted by Mount Holyoke College’s administration about federal attacks on academic freedom and immigration. At the time, international students around the country were being targeted for their social media posts and participation in protests supporting Palestine, as previously reported by Mount Holyoke News.

When school ended, the discussion came to an end for most. Domestic students, like myself, still did not truly understand the visa process, let alone the threat international students face when the government terminates their papers. 

Starting this past summer, international students have been forced to share social media when interviewed during their visa application to ensure they do not “pose a threat to U.S. national security,” according to a post by the State Department.

Then on Sept. 19, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation requiring a $100,000 annual fee for employers of H-1B visa applications, a temporary, nonimmigrant work visa for international workers in technology sectors, The Guardian reported. According to Duke University’s Career Hub, H-1B visas are commonly used by international students after graduating. 

In order to better understand the issues that have resulted from these policies, both past and present, here’s a brief 101 on student visas and what has changed since the beginning of the second Trump administration.

The majority of the international students at MHC have an F-1 visa, a nonimmigrant visa for students studying at an accredited U.S. college or English-language school, according to the U.S. Department of State. There are also several J-1 visa holders, for international students participating in an exchange program. 

Jennifer Medina, assistant director of the McCulloch Center of Global Initiatives and senior immigration advisor, explained the visa application process for Mount Holyoke students to MHN in an interview.

After being accepted into Mount Holyoke College, international students reach out to Medina to request required documents and share their passport, proof of funding, and family contribution information. Once everything is in order, Medina sends an I-20 form to them, which is required for the F-1 visa.

As soon as the student receives an I-20 form, the visa application officially begins. With everything available online through the Department of State website, the student fills out forms and pays fees to schedule an interview, according to Medina.

This interview process lasts around five minutes, and consists of the student explaining their personal situation and sharing relevant documentation. According to Medina, interviewers analyze interviewees’ English skills and how long they intend to stay in the U.S., since both the F-1 and J-1 visas are specifically nonimmigrant visas. 

“For an undergrad student, they're really looking at your immediate family. Do you have many aunts and uncles that are already in the U.S? Does that lead the visa officer to think, ‘Hmm, the student may end up staying there on a permanent basis,’ and that's not something the non-immigrant visa is for, regardless of what you're going to do in the future,” explained Medina.

As of now, they also require that your social media be publicly accessible. Medina explained that in the past the interview took a day to process, but with the social media vetting process it can now take up to 10 days.

“They are going to vet your social media to make sure there’s nothing antisemitic, there’s nothing anti-American, there’s nothing anti-Trump … they’re going through it much more carefully,” Medina said. 

Sometimes when entering the country, international students are required to once again hand over their phone for screening. Medina said this has caused lots of questions about whether the confiscator will think they are hiding something for people that do not have social media.

Despite this simple-sounding process, the visa application requires students to successfully jump through hurdles in and out of their control, including potential problems with documentation, communication, timeliness and the interview process before they can come to South Hadley. 

This year, Medina explained there was a two week pause period in June by the U.S. Department of State which made it hard for students to apply on time or process their application. 

“We did have some students not be able to get here for the fall semester just because they couldn’t get a visa … so we do have students coming in the spring, more students than we normally would,” Medina said.

If the federal government were to terminate a student visa at Mount Holyoke College, the international student would likely receive a message to the email they originally applied with, and the information would be recorded on their Student and Exchange Visitor Information System — or SEVIS — record, which contains an international student’s enrollment status and visa information for both F-1 and J-1 applicants. There is also the possibility that a student’s SEVIS record may be directly terminated. The McCulloch Center of Global Initiatives has access to each student’s SEVIS and can monitor the status.

“We’re always here for help and questions that students have just because we know that everything is so uncertain and there’s so much out there in the media. There’s so many things that are happening to friends at other schools,” Medina said.

When it comes to the role of domestic students, Medina recommends students “just be there to listen and then point students in the right direction.” 

For previous reporting about the situation last spring, http://www.mountholyokenews.com/news/2025/4/15/what-to-know-trumps-immigration-actions-and-mount-holyoke 

For more information and immigration resources, https://offices.mtholyoke.edu/global/international_students/visa_immi 

Quill Nishi-Leonard ’27 contributed fact checking. 

Vigil raises awareness about political turmoil in Nepal

Photo by Mira Crane ’27

NEPSO hosted a vigil on September 13 to raise awareness about the ongoing situation in Nepal.

By Mira Crane ’27 & Alia Bloomgarden ’29

Global Editor | Staff Writer

During the first week of September, Nepali youth overthrew the government.

Violence erupted on Sept. 8 with student demonstrations protesting a government ban on multiple social media platforms, as well as allegations of government corruption, according to The New York Times.

Government security forces opened fire on the protesters, and the controversy led to the prime minister’s resignation. The following day, Sept. 9, parliament and other government buildings were set aflame by angry crowds.

An interim prime minister, Sushila Karki, was named that Friday. Karki is a former chief justice of Nepal’s Supreme Court and will be the first female prime minister Nepal has seen, the BBC reported. Karki’s appointment was supported by Gen Z leaders.

Prashuna Tamang’26, president of the Nepali Student Organization — abbreviated as NEPSO — explained many Nepali citizens' view of the government leading up to the regime change. She said, "Growing up, we would always only learn about how the government's corrupted.”

According to Tamang, the government was inefficient, with no transparency and a large income gap within the country. Although Nepal went through many prime ministers, alternating almost every year, the same few prime ministers and two political parties were always in power, Tamang stated.

Many small parties didn't have a say or chance of gaining power in the government. She said that this system felt like a joke and her friends would call it a "love triangle.”

A month before the regime change, there was a movement on TikTok to expose corrupt politicians and their families. But Tamang never realized the movement had gotten so huge.

She explained, “I went back home this summer and everything was okay. And this was literally a month ago.”

A few weeks later, her sister told her she was going to a protest. Tamang didn’t think much of it. It was supposed to be a peaceful protest, after all.

However, according to Reuters, on Sept. 8 nineteen students were killed and more than 100 injured as police fired tear gas and rubber bullets.

Tamang was shocked when she awoke to the news.

She explained, “I knew that people had anger in them. I get where the rage came from.”

While the students began the protests, Tamang said, “Other political parties took this as a means to, like, spread their own propaganda … they were the ones who started the violence and it was not the peaceful protestors. So I think the infiltration kind of really made the situation bad.”

Tamang and NEPSO wanted to honor those who fought and died battling corruption. So, on Sept. 13, NEPSO held an evening vigil open to the entire Mount Holyoke College community.

The event was held in the Gettell Amphitheater, which was adorned with a poster collage about the crisis and the Nepali flag. Members of NEPSO also drew a chalk version of the flag and a chalk map of Nepal; statements in English and Nepali were written in chalk on the stage.

The event opened with an introduction from Tamang, who thanked everyone for coming and explained that the event was about honoring the Gen Z student protestors in Nepal and the lives that have been lost.

She passed the mic on to another member of NEPSO, who spoke about the context behind the events that unfolded in Nepal during the week of Sept. 8. This member discussed protests where students lost their lives and the appointment of a new caretaker prime minister. According to her speech, there is now a fragile but genuine sense of hope, and what happens next will shape Nepal’s future.

After this speech, attendees went up to the stage to receive candles, which were then placed around the Nepali flag and other pieces of chalk art. Tamang gave a speech about how the event was in solidarity with Nepal, and was intended to honor those who lost their lives and educate the Mount Holyoke community about recent events in Nepal. She also mentioned that the political turmoil was personal for members of NEPSO, many of whom have family in Nepal. All those present observed a moment of silence, and the evening ended with Tamang playing Nepal’s national anthem.

She explained that NEPSO’s goal is to spread awareness of the situation in Nepal across campus. “We felt personally for our own selves that we needed to honor the lives lost. Because we are here in a foreign country, we're not able to do anything, but at least we can spread awareness about what's happening to a wider audience and also stand together,” she said. “Because, since the event that has occurred in Nepal till present, the Nepali students have been very strong knit, and we've been there for each other and we also want the campus community to know what's happening and also support us.”

When asked what she wanted people on campus to know about the situation in Nepal, Tamang said, “At least from the NEPSO community we want, we want the campus community to know that the situation, the Gen Z protest that was happening in Nepal was just not about social media. It was as a result of youth, just citizens getting fed up [with] the long standing corruption, the bureaucracy, the oppression that the youth were facing in Nepal.”

She wants the wider audience to understand why the protests started, and to know that lives were lost during them. Tamang believes the future is hopeful. She explained that although Interim Prime Minister Karki was chosen in chaos, she believes Karki was the best candidate. As chief justice, Karki stood up against corruption. Tamang also believes the chosen cabinet members are good candidates.

According to Tamang, while the future of Nepal has a bright potential, the situation is confusing. Although the prime minister has been overthrown, the political parties that had a strong hold on Nepal still exist and corruption is so strongly rooted in the current system.

As Tamang put it, “The war has just begun.”

Quill Nishi-Leonard ’27 contributed fact checking.

Letters to MoHome: Trump’s desire for Greenland while living in Denmark

BY EMMA QUIRK ’26

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Hello from Copenhagen! 

I’ve been living in Denmark for the past month (and a half). There is so much to say about my experience studying abroad so far, but, for now, I just want to share what it’s been like to be here while Donald Trump is claiming he wants to buy Greenland. 

While this has mostly been taken as a joke by Americans, the Danes take this threat quite seriously. It has also brought up larger conversations about the status of Greenland as part of the Danish kingdom. Trump and Greenland are mentioned in news headlines and overheard in bars, coffee shops and bakeries. I’ve had conversations about this situation with my visiting host family and in the majority of my classes. 

In my course, “Postcolonial Europe: Narratives, Nationalism and Race,” we’ve specifically delved into the history of Greenland and Denmark, and the current conversations surrounding their relationship, as well as Trump. 

Denmark’s colonization of Greenland began with Christian missionaries in 1721. The overarching attitude in Denmark was one of superiority, based on racist and imperial beliefs. Like other Indigenous Peoples, the Inuit in Greenland were both scorned as being underdeveloped as well as idealized for their connection to, as the Danes saw it, traditional ways of life. Greenland remained an official colony of Denmark until 1954, when it became recognized as an autonomous state. Greenland was and still is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. 

Trump’s recent offer to buy Greenland wasn’t the first time the United States has shown an interest. There have been discussions within the United States government at various points, including a private offer after World War Ⅱ. Trump himself also talked about buying the island during his first term as president.

The official response from Denmark has been to say that Greenland is not for sale. King Frederik updated the royal coat of arms to have a larger polar bear, representing Greenland, and a larger ram, representing the Faroe Islands, apparently in response to Trump’s comments. Additionally, a satirical petition was started for Denmark to buy California. This petition has amassed over 244,000 signatures as of Feb. 13. 

The official response from Greenland has been to affirm that they are not interested in being purchased. In a statement, Prime Minister Múte Egede said “Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom.” 

Tensions are not only high in Denmark because of Trump but because of the current relationship between Denmark and Greenland. Many Greenlanders want independence, and Egede has been working toward this. With a successful referendum, Greenland can be its own nation. Greenland will be having a parliamentary election in April, and Danes are watching to see what will happen. 

The Inuit of Greenland have been pushing for freedom and trying to rewrite the colonial narrative that Denmark has created. One way that this is being done is through art. With my Postcolonial Europe class, we’ve had the opportunity to explore some of this art. 

We visited Nordatlantens Brygge — which translates to North Atlantic House — which is a cultural center in Copenhagen, to see the exhibit The Arctic Exotic. The exhibit is the work of Ivínguak’ Stork Høegh, a Greenlandic contemporary collage artist. Her collages push back against exoticizing narratives of the Arctic and Greenland. 

Additionally, we had a guest lecture with Emile Hertling Péronard, a Greenlandic film producer, director and writer. He discussed the role of Danish film in curating stereotypical narratives about Greenland. Péronard works on films that represent Greenland and Greenlanders from their perspectives. He is a producer for the Greenlandic production company Ánorâk Film and one of the founders of Polarama Greenland, Greenland’s first production service company. 

Ignoring colonial histories disregards the current material effects of colonialism for both the colonizers and the colonized. Art like Høegh’s collages and Péronard’s films both presents history and presents Greenlandic culture from another perspective. 

Karishma Ramkarran ’27 contributed fact-checking.