Photo Courtesy of Tzav Harrel ‘24
By Hope Simpson ’24
Staff Writer
For the first time this academic year, Mount Holyoke SGA senate convened in the Blanchard Great room on Tuesday, Oct. 5. At this meeting, tensions mounted over the food served at Blanchard Hall.
One student at Tuesday’s senate meeting brought attention to the produce served in the dining hall, claiming that vegetables are frequently served undercooked. Several other issues surrounding Blanch were raised as well, including the relative lack of gluten free breakfast choices.
Another dietary restriction — keeping kosher — also came up. The Jewish Student Union representative spoke on the importance of keeping dishes not from L’Chaim off of the counter, so as not to contaminate the kosher offerings there. If students put non-kosher food on the counters, those keeping kosher cannot eat what is being served.
Additionally, the noise in the Tranquility Room was brought up, as frequent conversations can contribute to a louder volume of the room during breakfast and dinner. For some, this is not an issue, but for others, especially students with sensory issues, it can make eating a difficult experience. One student mentioned having to sit outside because of the noise. The Neurodiverse Student Association senator gave some suggestions, including signs similar to those in the library that indicate acceptable volume for different spaces. The SGA E-Board leadership mentioned meeting with administration Wednesday, where they planned to raise the issue.
Other accessibility-related issues raised included the schedule of the campus service vans, which run only on weekdays until 8 p.m. and not at all on weekends. One student mentioned how hard this could be on some disabled students, who often cannot leave dorms for meals because of the inconvenient transport hours. Students also have to call Campus Safety if they need to be picked up by the accessibility van, which not all students are comfortable doing. While this issue has not yet been resolved, the senate board assured students that conversations with administrations will continue.
In other news, several clubs are hosting opportunities for community involvement. The Climate Justice Coalition put up divestment flyers ahead of the Board of Trustees meeting. Students can scan the QR code on the flyers for more information. The Catholic community will be collecting food donations for local food pantries in boxes located throughout campus, as well as donations for Afghan refugees.
With fall break around the corner, the SGA will not be having a senate meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 12. For those who do not have anyone visiting at the upcoming Family and Friends Weekend, Pearsons Annex will be hosting a non-College affiliated gathering. For more information, students were directed to email Piper Hattenbach ’25 at hatte22@mtholyoke.edu.
Once the floor was closed for comments, the E-Board went over Commissions, which will start meeting two weeks from Tuesday, as well as how to email constituents updates following each week’s meeting. The meeting closed out with a quote from Taylor Swift: “No matter what happens in life, be good to people. Being good to people is a wonderful legacy to leave behind.”